Crescendo
by twewyAA
Summary: After his game with Megumi is over, how does Joshua make everything in the UG back to normal? In his quest to do so, he ends up meeting someone who is different from anyone he's ever met, someone he can't figure out.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I don't own TWEWY or any of it's characters, I only own my OCs.**

**Crescendo: Growing steadily louder. **

* * *

"I'm bored." Joshua slumped down into a seat at Wildcat. There hadn't been a game in a while, but that was his own decision.

Sanae Hanakoma looked up from the counter. "Why don't you start a game?"

Joshua sighed. "There's no one interesting. Everyone is so infuriatingly basic."

Mr H smiled. "Well, you could do what a normal teenager does. Go to the movies, go shopping, have fun."

That earned him a glare. "That's what makes them so basic Mr H. Besides, that isn't fun. They're the sort of people who I can just look at and understand. They're an open book, no depth of character, stupid and shallow."

"So you think you can just look at people and understand them?" Mr Hanekoma asked with a raised eyebrow.

Joshua nodded with a smirk.

Mr H chuckled. "Care to test that theory?"

Joshua took this as a challenge. "Game on."

* * *

The two had gone to Ramen Don so that they could enjoy some good food while Joshua psychoanalyses the general public of Shibuya. They got a table near the door and sat down. Joshua decided to tell Mr H about each person that walked through the door, and after making his guesses, he would scan them to see if he was on the right track.

The first to walk through was a middle aged man in a business suit. Joshua scrutinised the beads of sweat on his forehead and the tight grasp on his laptop. The man waved at two other men in suits and plastered a fake smile onto his face.

Joshua smirked. "Easy. He's desperate for success, and will suck up to anyone he has to. He's a hard worker but not particular talented, and relies on other's support." A quick scan proved his guess to be correct.

Mr H smiled. "Fine, but that one was easy."

Next came a young woman, dressed in outlandish clothes and colours. Joshua stared at her for a little while before talking.

"She's looks different from other people, but isn't actually. She wears strange things so that she will be unique and will stand out, not because she wants to. Really, she's desperate for attention."

Again, Joshua was completely right.

This went on for the good part of the afternoon, Joshua not once failing to perceive a person.

Mr H laughed heartily. "That's amazing!"

"I'm amazing." Joshua smirked. "Okay, it's getting late, I'll just do one last one."

Just then, a girl walked through the doors of Ramen Don. She had long wavy black hair resting against her slightly tanned skin and piercing dark eyes to match. She was dressed casually, in black jeans and a grey shirt. Covering her ears were some large blue headphones, and she was nodding her head to the music. She was beautiful. Joshua snapped out of his trance and noted that her headphones were of a good quality brand. He also realised that she was there on her own, but seemed perfectly comfortable.

Mr H faked a cough.

Joshua shot him a glare. "I'm thinking. Since when am I not allowed to think?"

Mr H raised his hands in mock defence. "I didn't say anything."

Joshua looked back at the girl before he spoke. "I think she's a bit of a 'Neku character'. She's doesn't like people, blocks them out, and is content with being alone."

But before he had the chance to scan her, something unexpected happened. Another girl entered Ramen Don and quickly made her way over to the girl with headphones, who immediately took them off and pulled her into a hug.

"Hey Tia!" Headphones girl said with a smile. "You're late, as always."

"Shut it, you love me anyway." The other girl, Tia, laughed. "Oh wow, you ended up getting those expensive headphones."

Headphones girl nodded enthusiastically. "I saved up for a long time for these. Now I can listen to my baby Ed Sheeran in high definition."

Tia grabbed the headphones, looking at them from each angle. "Nice! Of course, you'll let me borrow them sometimes, right?" She had a sly smile.

She was met with rolling eyes. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

The two girls were now seated, and had already given their orders for ramen.

"So are we still going shopping tomorrow with Sica?" Tia asked.

"Ohhh, crap I forget to tell you." Headphones girl smacks her head with her hand. "I can't, I'm going to Mina's sweet 16th."

Tia frowned. "Uhhhh, I can't stand her, how are you even friends with her?"

"Well she can't stand you either, and I kind of agree that she can come off as standoffish and rude but once you get to know her she's pretty nice." Headphones girl reasoned.

They continued their friendly banter while eating ramen, and Mr H turned back to Joshua with a smirk of his own.

"Looks like you were wrong about her. She seems to have plenty of friends, is nice to everyone and loves having company."

Joshua was a little stunned, but then her shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Well, I was only wrong once, and really it's getting late so I'm just a bit tired."

Mr H sniggered. "Okay, okay, whatever you say. Just don't go off and kill her so that you can bring some excitement to the game."

Joshua scoffed. "I wasn't even thinking of that. Stop villainizing me."

Later, after their meal was complete, the two girls got up and left. However the girl who's name Joshua still didn't know left something behind. Her headphones.

Mr H noticed it too. "Again proving how wrong you were about her. She doesn't seem dependent on her headphones at all. Although she is going to freak out once she notices that they're gone."

Joshua went over to their table and grabbed the headphones before anyone else noticed them. "They only left two minutes ago. She's probably still in the area. I'll go give it back to her." Without waiting for a reply, the composer sped out the door.

Mr Hanekoma chuckled. "Well thats a first. He's never in a rush for anyone."

* * *

Joshua looked around Dogenzaka for the girl. He was beginning to think she had already left, when he caught sight of her rushing back in the direction of Ramen Don.

"Hey, looking for these?" Joshua held up the headphones. "You left them behind in Ramen Don."

The girl let out a sigh of relief. "Oh my god, thank you so much! I was about to have a heart attack." She took the headphones and put them in her bag. "Really I can't thank you enough!"

Joshua smirked. "Well you're lucky I've already eaten, otherwise I would have made you buy me ramen."

The girl smiled. "I wouldn't have minded. I was half expecting some prick to have stolen my headphones. Nice to see we still have some decent people around. What's you're name?"

Joshua gave his default reply. "The name's Yoshiya Kiryu. But mother and father call me Joshua." He sort of wanted to ask about the girl's name, but then decided that he didn't want to seem like he cared.

"That seems like a very practiced reply." The girl said with a giggle. "Anyway, my name is Maya."

Joshua was frozen for a few seconds. How did the she know that? Feeling defensive, Joshua spoke with an air of hostility. "I didn't ask for you name."

Maya flicked her hair. "You didn't, but I can tell you wanted to." She walked back a few steps. "Well, I'll see you around Joshua."

Joshua watched her walk away and disappear into the bustling crowd of Shibuya. How did she do that? She was the first person that Joshua couldn't work out, but she seemed to have him worked out just fine.


	2. Chapter 2

"Thats annoying." Joshua spoke into the phone. "Oh well, I'll look around and try to get rid of the problem." He finished the call and took a sip of his coffee.

"Well?" Mr H asked. "Who was that?"

"Some reapers. They were attacked by a few taboo noise. It's nothing big, not like the Minamimoto incident, but it's better to eradicate the issue while it's still small."

"Just ask some reapers to handle it. I mean, you could have left it up to your Conductor, but you haven't appointed a new one since Kitaniji's erasure." Mr H said with a pointed look.

Joshua placed his mug back down on the counter. "I know, I know, but I can't make just any reaper the Conductor. I'm looking out for someone who has enough talent and will be loyal to me. For now, I have free time, so I'm going to head over to Spain Hill. That's where they were attacked."

Mr H glanced at the clock. "I might tag along. The cafe is quite empty today anyway."

Joshua smirked. "Why, you say that as if it's a stark contrast to other days."

* * *

Soon the two arrived at Spain Hill, and they slipped into the UG. Joshua found the taboo noise and erased it quickly.

"There doesn't seem to be more, but maybe we should hang around for a bit, just in case." Joshua remarked.

Mr H nodded and the two fell into a conversation about coffee, while on the lookout. Their chat was soon interrupted though.

"Joshua?" A feminine voice rang out.

Mr H and Joshua looked up to see Maya.

"Hey, what are you doing here? Wasn't expecting to see you so soon." Maya continued in a teasing tone.

Joshua and Mr H looked at each other in shock. "How can you see me?" The former asked. They were still in the UG, so how could Maya see them? She couldn't have been dead, she was definitely in the RG, because someone walking past her had just knocked shoulders with her.

Maya looked confused. "What do you mean..." She trailed off. However, when a group of giggling teenage girls walked right through Joshua and Mr H, her eyes widened. "Crap."

With that, she turned around and ran.

Joshua was going to follow her when Mr H stopped him.

"Didn't you see that Mr H? She can see the UG! I have to ask her about this." Joshua protested.

Mr H shook his head. "You're going to overwhelm her Josh. Remember back when you were younger and you could see the UG? It's probably best to give her some space. I'll go and quickly talk to her."

Mr H rushed off in the same direction as Maya, and managed to find her.

"Hey, wait up! Maya, was it?"

Maya turned around, visibly scared. "Just leave me alone."

Mr H took a step back. "I just wanted to give you this." He handed her a business card for Wildcat cafe. "Years back, Joshua was in the same position as you. I helped him. When you want to talk about this, drop by my cafe. Don't freak out, we're not scary people. Although people might think that you're quite strange if you talk to an empty space for too long. My cafe isn't really that busy, so that won't be a problem there."

Maya took the business card, not fully understanding, but she figured she might take the man up on his offer sometime.

* * *

"I still can't believe you just let her go! What if she runs away and never comes back. She knows about the UG, she must know about the game. We don't even know anything about her, what if she's dangerous?" Joshua paced the floor of Wildcat.

"She won't run, she probably wants to know more. Besides, if we never see her again that means we don't have to worry about her being dangerous." Mr H dismissed Joshua's worries.

"I suppose so..." Was the only response he got. Then Joshua switched to another topic. "On the Conductor issue, I actually have a candidate. The only problem is, I don't think he'll want to take up the position."

Mr H looked up in shock. "Every reaper wants to be promoted! Who in their right mind would turn down that offer?"

"Well, he's an interesting guy, he's a Harrier class reaper, although he has already turned down heaps of promotions. Really, he should be an Officer. His name is Koki Kariya."

Realisation dawned on Mr H. "Ah, I've heard about him, he seems like a good pick. Although he's a little lazy isn't he."

Joshua nodded. "He is, but he doesn't turn down promotions because he wants to avoid work, it's because he likes being a Harrier class reaper. He likes wandering around Shibuya. Which I understand. If I end up offering him the position, I'll tell him that he'll be allowed to go out in Shibuya and do whatever he wants, as long as it's within reason, I don't mind."

"Doesn't he have a partner though?" Mr H asked.

"Yeah, but he can promote her and make her one of his main reapers if he wishes. His partner is quite different from him, she's always wanted promotions, so she'll be happy." Joshua replied.

Before they could continue this discussion, however, the door to Wildcat swung open. Maya walked in, her hand tightly clutching Mr H's business card. She walked straight towards the two friends by the counter.

"So, what, are you guys reapers?" Maya asked.

"How do you know what reapers are?" Joshua responded with a question of his own.

Maya narrowed her eyes. "I don't believe you've answered my question yet."

"I don't care." Joshua dismissed her rebuttal. "I'm guessing that you want information from us, meaning that we have the right to ask you whatever we want."

Maya laughed. "Where'd you get that idea from jackass?"

Joshua scoffed. How rude. Before he could give a scathing remark, Mr H stepped in to mediate.

"Okay kids, play nice. Maya, to answer you're question, we're not really reapers. Well, I'm not. Joshua here... he's not the sort of reaper you'd be imagining anyway."

Maya looked slightly confused. "Okay..."

Mr H offered her a cup of coffee. "So, I know Josh was rude about it, but how about answering his question. How do you know about reapers?"

Maya took a sip out of her cup. "Well, I've been seeing the UG for a few years now. Obviously, the first time I saw someone with wings, I freaked out. I thought I was going crazy. I didn't say anything to anyone though, and over some time, I watched the UG and started to work out that there was a game of sorts. There were two sides, reapers and players. Anyway, one day I saw these two players completely befuddled, trying to complete a mission. I had heard some reapers talking about it earlier, so I thought that maybe I could give the players a hint. I ended up just spilling their whole mission to them, and they easily finished."

Joshua and Mr H sucked in a breath, knowing that someone helping players wouldn't go down well with the reapers.

Maya noticed their reaction. "Yeah, it didn't go down well. A reaper had seen me tell the players what to do. She just came up to me and totally lost it. She was so mad. Before she could go off and tell the higher ups though, I decided to try and talk to her. I told her that I've been seeing the UG for a while, and even though I had a basic understanding of the game, I still didn't know much. So I managed to get her to let me off the hook, and she offered to tell me about the UG. Over some ramen of course. We became friends, and she's how I know all about the game, and all the technical terms like 'UG' and 'reapers'."

Joshua slowly nodded his head. "Okay...but if you already know so much about the UG, why did you freak out when you saw me and Mr H?"

"The reaper is a really close friend of mine now. She warned me about getting involved with the UG, because it could be dangerous if other people knew what I could see. That's why I just ignore it now. I ignore the game, the players and the reapers."

Mr H spoke up. "Well, your friend is right, I doubt other reapers would like someone who can see the game and interact with players. You're lucky to have someone like her who can help you in the UG"

Maya smiled. "Yeah, I am. I don't know if you guys would know her, seeing as your 'not really reapers', but she has pink hair and a sort of... difficult personality."

Mr H and Joshua exchanged a look. "That must be..." Joshua trailed off.

Maya looked up at him. "Well, her name's Uzuki Yashiro."


	3. Chapter 3

Maya Kuroi slipped out her front door and headed to Hachiko. She was meeting Uzuki today. When she arrived, she spotted the pink-haired girl making her way over.

"Hey Maya!" Uzuki greeted.

"Uzuki!" Maya gave her a quick hug. "I've had a weird past few days."

Her friend raised an eyebrow. "Really? What happened?"

"Well, I was at Ramen Don with a friend, but then I ended up meeting this guy-" Maya was cut off.

"Was he cute?" Uzuki gave her a sly look.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah he was and he seemed nice. Until I met him again, he was a bit of an jerk then. He's kind of... involved with the UG."

Uzuki shrieked. "WHAT? I told you to stay away from it!"

"Yeah well, I didn't know okay? So I met him briefly, and then a few days later I saw him and a man in Spain Hill. I talked to him, but then I realised he was in the UG. So yeah, he kind of found out that I can see the UG. Then the other man invited me to stop by his cafe to talk about it. I went yesterday." Maya explained.

Uzuki's eyes widened. "You went without even telling me?"

Maya bit her lip. "Well the man didn't seem dodgy or anything..."

"Do I look dodgy? No, but I still erase people!" Uzuki argued.

"Uzuki, you have pink hair and wings." Maya laughed.

She got a smile in response. "Well, to be fair, you can't even see my wings in the RG."

Maya laughed. "Look, well we just talked about the UG and stuff. It was nice to actually talk to someone else about it for once. Considering I see it everyday and only talk to you about it..."

"I guess. You probably shouldn't get too involved with any other UG business though." Uzuki reminded.

"Yeah. Besides, the man was nice to talk to, but like I said, the guy I met first kinda turned out to be an arrogant snot."

"Talking about anyone I know?" A male voice spoke up near Maya's ear.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Maya screamed and scampered away closer to Uzuki. "What. The. Hell."

Joshua smirked. "Hi, you must be Maya's reaper friend. I'm the arrogant snot."

Uzuki narrowed her eyes. "Wait, you? Weren't you one of the partners of that guy who played three games in a row?"

Joshua shrugged. "Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't."

Maya huffed. "Stop being ambiguous. Why are you even here? Are you following me?"

Joshua laughed. "Well, you've got a high opinion of yourself if you think I'm following you. No, I was actually looking for you're little friend over here. It just happened to be a coincidence that you were with her."

Maya looked skeptical. "Coincidence? Yeah, sure."

"What do you want with me? I hardly know you. Wait a sec... didn't you get erased?" Uzuki asked.

Joshua laughed. "Obviously I didn't, since I'm still here."

"Look, I don't know what you want, but you seem like a creep, let's go Maya." Uzuki frowned.

"I just want to ask you a question. Do you know where I can find Koki Kariya?" Joshua asked.

Uzuki turned around. "What do you want with Kariya?"

"I want to offer him a proposition." Joshua said vaguely.

"Well, I doubt Kariya want anything to do with you weirdo." Uzuki sneered. She walked off towards the Scamble Crossing, taking Maya with her.

* * *

"Maybe that was a little bit too rude Uzuki, even for him."

Uzuki fumed silently.

"Oh kay... how do you even know him?" Maya tried again.

Uzuki's eyes snapped up to meet hers. "You know that orange haired kid I told you about. Who played three games. This prissy kid was his second partner. I thought he stupidly gave up his life to save orange-locks though..."

Maya frowned. "Then how is he still here...?

Uzuki shrugged. "I have no idea. Listen, I have to go now. Reaper business. I'll see you later Maya."

Maya watched Uzuki slip into the UG discreetly, wings sprouting from her back. As soon as Uzuki was out of sight, Maya turned around, ready to go home.

Until she came almost face to face with Joshua. He was taller than her, so her head awkwardly bumped his chin, but while she seemed to be hurt, he was unaffected.

"OW! Honestly, do you have no concept of personal space!" Maya rubbed her forehead angrily.

Joshua smirked. "I do, and you're invading it. I think you should step away, we don't want anyone making any wrong assumptions about us."

Maya's jaw dropped. "You really have no shame! You're the one who stood behind me like a creep!"

Joshua waved his hand around nonchalantly. "Details, details. Now, since Miss Yashiro couldn't tell me, how about you tell me where Koki Kariya is?"

Maya shook her head. "I don't even know him that well. Besides, I trust Uzuki's judgement and she obviously doesn't trust you."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "You don't know him that well still means you know him."

"I know him because he and Uzuki are always together in the UG. You would probably have had a better chance of finding Kariya if you went with her." Maya responded.

Joshua shrugged. "Oh well, I prefer your company. You must have some idea where he is. I just want to talk to him, okay? I'm not going to snap his neck or anything. Big bad reaper and he's scared of teenagers?"

Maya stared at Joshua intently. "Fine, he's usually hanging out in Shibuya Department Store. Come on, I'll show you where." She started walking in that direction.

Joshua smirked, walking ahead of her in a self-assured manner.

"Well, where is he?" Joshua asked, looking around Shibuya Department Store.

Maya was fiddling on her phone. "Wait I'm texting him, he should be somewhere around here."

Joshua grabbed her phone. "He has your phone number?" He frowned and quickly pressed a few buttons on her phone.

Maya grabbed it back. "What are you doing?" She looked at the screen to see that he had added his own number.

"Call me so I have your number." Joshua said.

Maya held her phone tightly. "What if I don't want you to have my number?"

Joshua rolled his eyes. "Doesn't apply, because you do." Again he grabbed her phone and quickly gave himself a missed call.

"I actually didn't dude." Maya said angrily.

"Maya?" Kariya's voice broke through their argument.

Maya turned around. "Hey Kariya, sorry but this guy wanted to meet you..." She gestured to Joshua.

Kariya looked at the teenager. "You...orange-lock's partner right? You were erased..."

Joshua looked at Maya. "Maybe you should go do some shopping, I want to talk to Kariya...privately."

Maya looked confused. "Huh, why..."

Kariya crossed his arms. "It's alright Maya, I'll see you later."

Maya slowly nodded and stepped away from the two. "Okay then, bye." She walked further in Shibuya department store.

Kariya turned to Joshua and gave him a questioning look. "You were saying?"

* * *

Kariya and Joshua were sitting in the corner of the food court. Joshua had explained everything to Kariya, and had proven himself as Composer by showing his powers.

Kariya was almost speechless. "You're...the Composer? What, how is..." He trailed off, running a hand through his hair.

"Look, can we skip past the elongated shock reactions. I was Neku's partner because he was my proxy in the game against Kitanji. However, even though I won, I decided not to erase the UG. Obviously, if things are to continue as usual, I'll need a Conductor. I seeked you out to offer you the position."

Unfortunately, Kariya was still stuck on the Composer issue. "How did I not realise something so big?" He seemed to be talking to himself angrily. He looked at Joshua. "How many people even know about this?"

Joshua sighed. "Not many, so I don't suppose I have to say that this is confidential information and if you speak a word of it, you will never speak a word again."

Kariya gulped, then looked up in confusion again. "You want me to be the Conductor? Why?"

"You seem fit for the job. I didn't want to just employ the first groveling reaper who's only concern is upping their rank." Joshua said, glad he had finally started to get through to the man.

Kariya nodded. "I guess thats understandable...but how do I fit the role?"

Joshua spoke what he truly believed. "You love Shibuya. I don't just mean that you would love to control the city and see the glamour and ignore everything insignificant. I mean you are truly dedicated to it. You love the streets, the people and both the UG and the RG."

Kariya chucked, finally recovering from his shock to fall back into character. "Am I allowed to be slightly creeped out that you know so much about me?"

Joshua smirked. "Is that a yes?"

Kariya considered the offer. "I guess so, but I'll see how it goes. Conductor...wow, well I hope your not hoping that I'll be anything like Kitanji."

"Nah, it's fine - variety is the spice of life."

"About when you said that I can't tell anyone...what about my partner Uzuki? She's going to freak out when I tell her I've become the Conductor and will nag me for an explanation." Kariya asked thoughtfully.

Joshua smirked. "Oh, I met your lovely partner before coming here. She wouldn't tell me where you were so I asked Maya instead. Miss Yashiro was quite rude to me."

"Oh god, she's going to be so mad at herself when she finds out you're the Composer."

"When?" Joshua asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well...as Conductor I would promote her, so wouldn't she be able to find out who the Composer is?"

Joshua frowned. "Usually the only reaper who knows the Composer's identity is the Conductor."

Kariya shrugged. "Oh, well then it's your choice. Personally, I just want to see her reaction. Although I'll just say that if you make Uzuki swear to secrecy she will not tell anyone. She keeps her promises. It's not going to slip out in a fit of anger and rage because she'll know how important this secret is."

Joshua laughed. "Okay, I'll think about it."

Kariya tilted his head. "Now, what were you doing with Maya? Does she know you're the Composer?"

"Nah, I've only met her a few times, I know she can see the UG though. I thought that since she's Uzuki's friend she might be able to lead me to you. Uzuki was too angry to help me. Maya has no need to know that I'm the Composer."

"Okay, then you should stay away from her. I don't think it's safe for her to be hanging out with the Composer." Kariya reasoned.

"Actually, I quite enjoy being around her." Joshua said with a smirk. "Look if your worried about her safety, you shouldn't be. Nothings going to happen to her. She amuses me though. I don't think she likes me very much right now, but I plan to remedy that."

Kariya through his hands up in defeat. "Here I thought things were going well for Maya, despite seeing the UG."

Joshua giggled. "Well, if you're to be the Conductor, there's some things we need to go through. I'll see you at the Dead God's Pad tomorrow. It's at the end of the Shibuya river. Well, not really the end, but you'll think it's the end." He handed Kariya the necessary keypin.

Kariya looked confused at the last sentence, but regained composure, knowing that all would be explained soon. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

Joshua gave him a smirk, stood up and walked into the main shopping centre again, looking for a certain teenage girl.

* * *

Maya was rifling through the racks of clothing in D+B. Her mind wasn't really there, though. What were Kariya and Joshua talking about? She couldn't think of any topic that would make them so secretive.

"Boo." Came a whisper in her left ear.

"HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!" Maya screamed so loud that the whole store turned to look at her. With her hand over her heart, she glared at Joshua. "You. Need to stop doing that. Next time I'm going to slap you."

Joshua shrugged. "Me and Kariya have finished our conversation."

Maya nodded and started leaving the store, wanting to make her way over to Kariya and ask him what Joshua said. She didn't get very far without Joshua coming up next to her.

"He's not going to tell you. You shouldn't ask him anyway, it doesn't involve you."

Maya huffed. "Fine then, bye I'm going home." She stomped off towards the exit, but Joshua caught up with her again.

"What do you want?" Maya asked, slightly pissed off now.

"Maya, have you even looked outside? It's quite dark now. I think I should walk you home, it might be unsafe for you to go alone." Joshua actually looked concerned.

Maya stepped out of the shopping centre with Joshua by her side. A cool breeze rushed by her, and the night sky twinkled. He was right, although she wouldn't admit it, she hated walking home alone at night despite her house not being very far.

"F-fine. Hurry up then."

When the two reached Maya's house, Maya went up to the front door and started stepping inside. At the last second, she turned around to see Joshua walking away.

"Joshua?" She called out.

He turned around and looked at her questioningly.

Maya gave him a genuine smile. "Thank you."

With that she closed the door and locked it, and Joshua slipped away into the darkness, content that she was in the safety of her home.


	4. Chapter 4

"Maya, wake up." Her mother's voice entered her ears.

Maya muffled the voice out with pillows. "Shh, I'm trying to sleep."

"It's 10 o'clock. Didn't you say that you were going to get a holiday job after using all your money on those expensive headphones?" Came the sceptical reply.

The teenager jolted out of bed, her brown eyes wide. "You're right. I really need to get a job. I have to make up for buying my baby." She ran her hands over the headphones lovingly.

Her mother made a distasteful face. "Please Maya, don't refer to your headphones as 'your baby'. It's highly disturbing."

Maya smiled, getting up and giving her mother a hug. "Okay, I'll only call it that when you're not around."

She quickly grabbed some clothes and ran off to the bathroom, laughing to herself. Her mother was left behind with a small smile on her face as she shook her head at her daughter's antics.

* * *

Joshua was lounging in the Dead God's Pad, waiting for Kariya to arrive. He was actually surprised that the man had agreed to become the Conductor so easily.

His phone rang, his serene ringtone filling the silent air. Joshua picked his phone up from the table, and answered it.

"Joshua, just ringing to let you know that Kariya is on his way. He stopped at my café to get a coffee." Mr H's voice rang out.

"Why did he go to your café? He could have gone to a café on the way to the Shibuya River."

Mr H scoffed. "You say that as if no one in their right mind would go out of their way to get a cup of my coffee. It's a refined taste Josh."

Joshua stifled a laugh. "Right, well I was just asking… in case he knows about your true identity."

"Some reapers do regard me as a… peacekeeper in the games. After all, many of them have encountered me when I stop reapers from breaking rules and try to keep them in line. I have come across Kariya before. He is a wise man, and must know that I'm not just a reaper. However, my true position as the Producer is not something he could ever guess." Hanekoma answered.

"Of course, reapers don't even know that the Producer exists." Joshua agreed.

Just then, he heard the sound of distant footsteps. While this person was still a bit far from the Dead God's Pad, it wouldn't be long until they arrived. Joshua's Composer abilities equipped him with heightened senses. He exchanged a few finishing words with his Producer and then ended the call.

Joshua got up from the couch and grabbed a pool cue hanging off the back of the room. He walked over to the pool table in the middle of the room. The Composer sought to look occupied, not wanting Kariya to think that Joshua had been waiting around for him. Which he _hadn't_. He had just been… relaxing. There was _no doubt_ that he had better things to do, he had only been killing time in the Dead God's Pad because he was showing some courtesy to his new Conductor.

Soon Kariya entered the Dead God's Pad, sipping his coffee in a cool manner. "Quite a nice place you've got here."

Joshua smirked. "It only gets better."

Kariya quirked an eyebrow. "I'm not even going to bother asking. If you're going to tell me, I suppose you will sooner or later. So, I believe you've called me here to talk about my Conductor duties, right Joshua? Or do you wish to be addressed as Mr Kiryu? Or god forbid, should I call you Yoshiya?"

Joshua laughed at Kariya's teasing tone. "You can call me Joshua. It would be weird otherwise." While it was true that Kariya was nothing like Kitanji, he didn't really mind the change. Maybe this way he could actually have a bit of fun with his Conductor.

* * *

Maya was making her way around ideal job locations. She was currently scoping out clothing stores and cafes in 104. Unfortunately, she had been refused by each business she had visited so far. Maya had one last place to try in 104 before she went off to another shopping centre.

It was a small café where her friend Tia worked, and she hoped that her connections would be enough to snag her a job. In fact, it would probably be her ideal job because she would enjoy working with Tia. However, she was met with another refusal.

The café manager said that they weren't hiring, full stop. Even Tia's recommendations couldn't help her.

"Look," The manager said. "You may be a great employee for all I know, but we don't need any extra staff right now. I doubt we'll need people anytime soon, but if something pops up then Tia will tell you." The man went back to his busy schedule, leaving Maya disappointed.

Tia sighed. "Damn, if only you had come a few days earlier. We hired two new employees, and they filled up our final positions. If only I knew you were looking for a job, I would have mentioned it."

Maya shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It's my fault, I should have told you earlier."

The two girls shared a quick hug, before Tia returned to her job and Maya returned to her quest of finding one. All her possible employment options in 104 had turned to ash, so she decided to make her way over to Shibuya Department Store. Her mind drifted to the last time she was here, which was only yesterday, and immediately she pondered about Joshua and Kariya's mysterious conversation. She never did find out what they were talking about. However, although it was strange, it was none of her business. She didn't really have any right to poke her nose into matters that don't involve her.

Maya remembered Joshua's kindness at the end of the night though. He had gone out of his way to walk her home. She supposed that she had been quite hostile to him, apart from the first time they meet. To be fair, he hadn't been an angel to her either. Her first meeting with Joshua had led her to believe that he was a charming guy, despite being a bit guarded. In fact, she definitely remembered that they both had spoken in teasing tones, bordering on flirtation. However, since the discovery that he was involved in the UG, he had sometimes acted like a jerk. It could also be that her perception of him was negatively skewed because she couldn't trust anyone connected to the UG. She noted that she should probably be a bit friendlier to him, because while sketchy, Joshua didn't seem entirely untrustworthy.

Shaking off her thoughts of Joshua, Maya focused on the task at hand. She needed to search for a job. However, her attempts were basically a rerun of 104. No one was hiring.

Maya was so close to screaming and pulling her hair out of her head. _Who knew it was this hard to get a job?_ Her frustration put her in such a bad mood that she decided she wasn't going to continue flashing fake smiles at store managers. At least, not for today.

She was pulled out of this mood when she heard her phone ringing. Digging it out of her bag, she saw Uzuki's name on her screen.

"Hey Uzuki." Maya answered.

"I'm at Shibuya Department Store, wanna grab lunch?" Uzuki's voice rang through her ears.

This suggestion brightened Maya up. "Hey, I'm already here as well!"

They arranged to meet at the food court. Maya poured out her frustrations about not finding a job to Uzuki. She garnered a little bit of sympathy from her friend, but mostly Uzuki just rolled her eyes and expressed her happiness at not being in the same situation as Maya.

"I can't imagine having to go around and play nice with all those store managers." Uzuki scoffed.

Maya nodded. "While the idea of 'being nice' isn't as revolting to me as it is to you, it does get tiring after a while. Especially when it yields no results."

"Well, you'll probably get a job soon. I mean, there must be _some place_ that's hiring." Uzuki replied.

"Well I hope so…" Maya trailed off, tilting her head to the side and looking at something off in the distance. "Uzuki, look over there, near the sushi store. Isn't that Joshua and Kariya?" An incredulous tone delivered those words.

Uzuki spun around and found the objects of Maya's attention. "What. The. Hell."


	5. Chapter 5

Uzuki and Maya stared at Joshua and Kariya across the food court.

"What is Kariya doing with that prissy kid?" Uzuki said, highly confused.

Maya slowly shrugged, still slightly shocked at the unexpected sight. "Yesterday Joshua was looking for Kariya, remember? I brought him here and they went off and had some private conversation."

Uzuki looked annoyed. "Whatever that idiot kid wants, I don't know why Kariya is even bothering with him."

The two males seemed to be enjoying a jovial conversation, and were walking closer to where Maya and Uzuki were seated. They hadn't noticed their presence though.

Uzuki called out to Kariya when they got closer. "Kariya!"

Both Kariya and Joshua stopped the conversation and looked over to where Maya and Uzuki were seated. The two guys exchanged a look before grabbing some spare chairs and settling down onto the same table.

Uzuki raised an eyebrow at Kariya. "What are you doing with _him_?"

Kariya resisted the urge to face-palm. Uzuki was talking about the Composer in such a disdain manner.

"Um Uzuki, why don't I tell you on the way to the scramble?" His eyes flickered to Maya. "We have some reaper business to handle."

Uzuki looked doubtful. "Reaper business? In a non-game week?"

Kariya got up anyway, and beckoned Uzuki to do the same. "There's something I need to tell you anyway."

The two reapers left the food court, and Joshua looked over to Maya.

"Guess it's just the two of us now, right?" He smirked.

Maya tried to remember her decision to be nicer to the boy, but she couldn't help her suspicions after seeing him with Kariya.

"What were you and Kariya doing?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Talking."

The one word answer caused Maya's suspicions to deepen.

"What, do you expect me to believe you're best friends now? It doesn't seem normal. The way you sought him out that other day…"

"Maybe we're hanging out because he's drawn to my stellar personality and good looks." Joshua giggled.

Maya made a face of disbelief. "Don't flatter yourself."

"You look uncharacteristically fed up today." Joshua noted.

"That's because I've been trying to get a job all day, but no one is hiring." Maya said sadly.

Joshua tilted his head. "Why do you need a job?"

"You know those expensive headphones I have? The blue ones?"

Joshua nodded his head slowly, not understanding the connection.

"Well, I used up a lot of my money on those. Now I need to get a job to make up for that." Maya explained.

"Oh, well I can help you get a job." He offered.

Maya froze. "Really, where?"

"Mr H's café."

His words were met with a short silence, before Maya spoke up. "…Um I don't mean to be rude, because I mean I would love to work there, but it's like…" she stammered.

Joshua fought to keep a straight face.

"It just doesn't seem very busy…like I don't think he would need another employee." She hoped she didn't sound too rude.

To her dismay, Joshua laughed.

He _laughed_.

Here she was, trying so hard not to come off as rude, and this jerk was laughing at her so hard that he almost fell off his chair.

"Fine, then." Maya huffed and got up, ready to leave.

Joshua's arm shot out and he grabbed her hand. He pulled her back to the table.

"Hey, look I was just kidding. I can help you get an actual job. It was just funny to see your reaction."

Maya rolled her eyes, but took a seat anyway. "What actual job?"

"Anywhere you want." Joshua offered.

"What?" Maya looked sceptical.

"I'm asking, where is your ideal job?" Joshua enunciated each word.

"It's a café in 104, where my friend works…but I've already tried Joshua, they're not hiring." Maya explained.

"I can be pretty persuasive when I want to." Joshua knew it would be easy enough to imprint on the store manager and get him to hire Maya.

Maya shook her head. "It doesn't matter, if they're not hiring, then they're not hiring."

Joshua contemplated imprinting on her to agree, but instantly, he felt it was wrong. He didn't want to manipulate her, for some strange reason. Besides, she's the one who will benefit from this, why was he putting in so much effort to make sure that she got a job?

He stroked her hand with his thumb. "Come on Maya, it's worth a try."

Maya only then realised that he was still holding her hand, and she tried to push that thought to the back of her mind.

"Ahem." She took her hand out of his. "Okay, fine. I'm only going along with this so that I can see you fail." She clarified.

Joshua held his hands up in defense. "Sure."

Maya dug her phone out of her bag and checked the time. "Hmm, well I'm supposed to be going home now. My dad's coming back from his business trip today. My mum told me to come home in the afternoon so that we could cook a nice dinner for him."

"Are you free tomorrow then?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what time though…" Maya pondered.

Joshua smirked. "It's a good thing you already have my number then, you can text me."

Maya rolled her eyes, remembering the way Joshua had forcibly inputted his number in her phone. "Okay, then. By the way, don't think I didn't notice your topic change. I still want to know what you were doing with Kariya, but you're too damn stubborn."

She got up and started walking away, leaving Joshua chuckling. She tried to ascertain exactly what time she was free tomorrow. She knew that her family would spend some time together tonight, considering her dad had been gone for 2 weeks, but wasn't sure what was on tomorrow. As she exited the shopping centre, she rubbed her hands together as protection from the cold. This reminded her of the way Joshua had been holding her hand, and it filled her with an unexpected warmth.

Joshua watched her slim form walk out the exit, wondering why he was so excited to see her again tomorrow. He didn't know what had compelled him to offer his help, but he was going to make sure that she got that job. It would make her happy.

* * *

Kariya dragged an annoyed Uzuki all the way to Scramble Crossing.

"Kariya, what's going on?" Uzuki asked for the billionth time.

He turned around to face her. "There's something I need to tell you…"

Uzuki quirked an eyebrow at this. "Well? Why are you so nervous about saying it?"

Kariya shifted from foot to foot. "It's just that I'm not sure how you'll take this news. You're going to have a lot of questions."

Uzuki groaned. "Oh my god, the suspense is killing me. Just tell me already!"

"Okay, okay." Kariya cleared his throat. "I'm the new Conductor."

A silence fell between the two friends. Uzuki gave Kariya an exasperated look.

"That's not funny. I'd like the truth." she said.

"I'm serious. I was approached a few days ago to be the new Conductor. I accepted."

Uzuki crossed her arms and looked at the man, waiting for this façade to drop. Slowly, her eyes widened. "Wait, you're actually not lying?"

Kariya shook his head.

"How the hell did this happen?" Uzuki was bewildered.

Kariya sighed and started explaining, knowing there were many questions to come. He would have to gloss over some details, as Joshua's involvement could not be told to Uzuki unless he agreed.

"Well, I was approached about this and met the Composer, who personally asked me to become the Conductor. I accepted, and well, I guess I won't have much to do until the next game."

Uzuki looked at him expectantly. "Is that all you're going to say? Details, please."

Kariya awkwardly scratched the back of his head, getting the feeling that he was about to invoke a tantrum. "Um, I don't know if I can tell you all the details just yet."

"Are you kidding me? You can't just drop this on me and expect me not to ask questions!" She fumed.

Kariya lazily chucked an arm around her. "Come on, let's get some ramen and maybe I'll remember a few more details." He was happy that her shock about the Conductor issue had made her forgotten about Joshua. He knew it would come up later, but was hoping to think of a response before then.

Uzuki rolled her eyes but went along anyway, not wanted to lose the opportunity to find out more information. "I don't know what the Composer saw in _you_. I would have been a _way_ better pick."

* * *

"Maya where are the carrots?" Her mother asked.

"Mum, I left them on the island bench!" Maya raised her voice to make it audible over the loud sizzle of the stir-fry she was cooking.

Her mum grabbed the chopping-board off the bench and rushed over to her side, sliding the carrots into the wok without making a mess. On the other hand, Maya was sloshing around the ingredients, with several vegetables flying out of the wok.

"Look at you," Her mother huffed, taking over the cooking. "The bench is such a mess! You're going to be cleaning that up."

Maya saluted her mother as she moved aside. "Yes sir."

The doorbell rang, and both women lit up.

"I'll get it!" Maya had a massive, genuine smile on her face.

As she opened the door, she was met with the sight of her father. His body language showed that he was tired, but upon seeing his daughter, he seemed to get some energy back. He engulfed her in a bear-hug. The father-daughter pair moved towards the kitchen, and her father gave her mother an equally loving hug. This was paired with a kiss on her cheek.

"Dear, you look positively radiant. I missed both of you over these two weeks!" Maya's father beamed, happy to be back in the comfort of his home.

After the dinner that had been prepared by the two women of the house, the family retired to the lounge room, where they spent some quality family time playing monopoly. As usual, Maya was on her way to tasting a bitter defeat. She was never any good at these sort of games. She had a reasonable amount of luck, which helped her do pretty well in card games, but handling money wasn't really one of her strengths.

"That's $750 for landing on my property." Her dad laughed, looking at his daughter's sullen face.

Next to Maya, her mother looked over, trying to help. "Maybe if you mortgage those 3 properties, you'll be able to cover the costs…or maybe not." She pondered over the options for a few seconds.

"Mum, there's no point, I'm bankrupt. Just take it all dad." With a shake of her head, she handed over all her assets and money to her father. "How did I get so bad at this game? Dad, if you were so good at this, you should have incorporated 'how to win monopoly' into your life lessons. I definitely could have used it a lot more than 'eat your vegetables'."

This earned her a laugh from both her parents, and a sympathetic pat on the back from her mother. "Hey, maybe it's something that comes with practice. Your father and I _are_ a lot older than you."

Maya chuckled. "Thanks for attempting to cheer me up mum, but I've long since accepted my defeat in this game. It doesn't annoy me as much as it used to."

Her parents continued the game without her, aiming to end with a single winner. Maya watched on, but was distracted from the board game by a buzz in her pocket.

_Joshua Kiryu: I was checking to see whether you've texted me with a time for tomorrow, which obviously isn't very high on your priority list (you wound me), and I realised that your number in my phone is simply under 'Maya'. What's your surname? _

Did he really not know her full name? They had spent quite a bit of time together even though they hardly knew each other. Thinking back to their first meeting, Maya recalled that she had simply introduced herself by her first name. Although, it was probably a good practice to not give her full name to complete strangers, no matter how harmless they seemed. Joshua couldn't really be classified as a 'complete stranger' anymore though. She typed back a quick reply. _My last name is Suzuki. _His reply was almost instant.

_Joshua Kiryu: Beautiful name. So what time are you free tomorrow?_

The compliment brought a smile to Maya's face, and a strange thought went through her head. To anyone else reading this text message, it would seem as if Joshua was asking her out. That wasn't the case though. Maya almost smacked herself for being disappointed. Why was she thinking these silly thoughts? He was just helping her get a job. Although putting 'Joshua' and 'helping' in the same sentence didn't make too much sense, she decided to be grateful for his efforts.

"Mum, dad, do we have anything planned for tomorrow?"

Her mum shook her head. "No, I don't think so…"

Her dad shook his head _at_ her mum. "Actually dear, I was hoping to take you out for lunch. Haven't spent enough time with my beautiful wife lately."

Her mother smiled and gave a small laugh. "Well, then I guess we'll be going for lunch. Come if your free, Maya."

To some people, having their parents being all lovey-dovey in their face was 'gross'. However Maya thought that it was a great thing that her parents were still so in love, even so many years into their marriage. Although they wouldn't mind Maya coming along to lunch, she decided to let them have some time to themselves. After all, she did have other commitments. Not that she prioritising Joshua, but she _was_ prioritising her potential job. Maybe spending some more time with Joshua wouldn't be so bad either…

Remembering that she had to text him back, she unlocked her phone again. _11am at 104? _

Again the reply came quickly. _Joshua Kiryu: Until then, don't miss me too much ;)_

Maya scoffed. Like she would miss him. He's the one who texted her back within a fraction of a second. Well, he did spend a lot of time on his phone, as she had observed. Was he always texting people?

A cry of despair, presumably because of her defeat, came from her mother. "Damn, why do you always win?"

Her dad chuckled, leaning back into the sofa. "It's a god given talent, my dear."

After bidding her parents goodnight, Maya trudged up to her room. Tucking herself into bed, she looked up at the ceiling. Tomorrow she was going to 104 with Joshua. Joshua who she really didn't know a lot about, and she wanted to. How could she spend time with someone if she hardly knew anything about them?


	6. Chapter 6

Joshua breathed in the fresh air around him. Here, seated on the roof of 104, there was a calm tranquillity to life. Here, he could sit above everyone else and watch them scurry around, hurrying from place to place. Someone had once called Joshua 'inhumane', the way he treated human life so casually. Yet he couldn't understand how rushing around so pointlessly could be called 'living'.

If Joshua closed his eyes, and focused hard enough, he could hear the heartbeat of every person below. Sometimes, that could be as intuitive as reading their thoughts. Is that person's heart pattering like a machine gun? He's nervous. For a job interview maybe?

Joshua couldn't imagine being like them. As the Composer of Shibuya, he had extensive power over life and death. The people below, though? Any moment could be their last. Maybe that's why they are zooming through, trying to get everything done. But to Joshua, that just made less sense. If any moment could be your last, wouldn't you want to slow it down? Few people ever take a step back from their busy lives, and just appreciate the moment. Here, on the top of 104, Joshua does exactly that.

Today though, he was sitting there with a purpose. He was waiting for Maya to turn up. Joshua didn't mind waiting for people. He hadn't minded waiting for Kariya the day before, and he sure didn't mind waiting for Maya now. What he _did_ mind, was when people _knew_ that he had been waiting for them. He certainly didn't want Maya walking into 104, and seeing him there, patiently awaiting her arrival. So instead, he would watch from above, and only descend when he saw her walk in.

His eyes caught sight of a mane of beautiful black hair, a girl dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a shirt. But she managed to look flawless. It was Maya. Strong winds were coming from her left, causing her hair to cover half her face. She tried to brush the disobeying strands out of her face, but they kept coming back. Even from so high above, Joshua could see the irritation in her dark brown eyes. Joshua smiled, finding this trait very endearing on the girl.

Hopping off his position on the ledge of the building, Joshua took the narrow stairs back down into the shopping centre.

* * *

Maya walked into 104, exactly at 11am. She didn't want to be waiting around for Joshua. He struck her as the sort of person who would be fashionably late to everything, so she walked in slowly. She looked around for a silver haired boy, continuing to walk forward.

"Maya." A voice whispered, dangerously close to her ear.

She spun around with a shriek, facing the front and taking a wary step back. "Oh god. Can't you just approach me like a normal person?"

Joshua's face grew into an easy smirk. "Why be normal when you can be extraordinary?"

Maya shook her head at him distastefully. "If that's what they're calling 'creepy' nowadays, then okay."

"Come on Maya. I'm here to help you today. Can't you be a little nicer?" Joshua tilted his head.

Maya breathed out, internally agreeing with his words. She was usually a kind person, but Joshua seemed to irritate her in ways that no one else could.

Mustering up a grateful smile, she looked up at him. "Okay. Let's go Josh." She gently tugged his arm, pulling him in the direction of the café where Tia worked.

The composer followed, his eyes dropping to where she touched his arm. Joshua quietly chuckled. He could never guess her next move. She was unpredictable for him.

Joshua walked side by side with Maya, discreetly looking at her from the corner of his eye.

"Your hair looks pretty." He reached out and tucked some stray strands behind her ear, appreciating the soft and delicate nature of the waves.

Maya looked up at him, slightly thrown off by the compliment. She felt a light blush rise to her cheeks. "Thank you." Before she could say anything else, a familiar voice rang out in the shopping centre.

"Maya!" Standing before them was a good friend of hers, Sica.

She engulfed her in a hug. "Sica, so nice to see you!"

Her friend gave her a cheeky grin. "So who's this?" Sica asked, nodding her head at Joshua.

Maya looked over at the boy. "Oh, this is Joshua. He's a… friend." She wasn't sure if they could really be classified as 'friends', but it was the most accurate title she could think of. They were definitely more than acquaintances.

Joshua shook hands with Sica, and was about to say something else when his phone rang. "Sorry, I'll just get this," he told the two girls, walking a short distance away from them.

As soon as he was out of hearing range, Sica moved closer to Maya. "Woah, he's cute! What's going on? You guys seemed pretty cosy when I first saw you." She wiggled her eyebrows.

Maya shrugged her off. "What are you talking about. We weren't 'cosy' at all."

"You were! He was doing that classic move of tucking your hair away." Sica giggled.

"He was probably just making sure that I was looking good enough to be seen in public with him. He's a little…arrogant, I guess."

Sica gave her a look of disbelief. "Please, you guys were flirting. And why wouldn't you? He's really good looking."

Maya gave a non-committal sound, but didn't deny Sica's words.

Her friend gave her a look. "Don't be in denial. At least admit that you think he's hot."

Maya sighed. "Look, well,"

Sica grabbed her arm and looked her in the eye firmly. "You think he's hot."

Maya started laughing, overwhelmed by Sica's actions. "I feel like I'm being interrogated!" Looking at the determined look on her friend's face, she put her hands up in defeat. "Fine, you're right. I do think he's bloody hot. From the first time I saw him, I thought he was pretty cute. Happy?"

Sica laughed. "Much better. Remember Maya, don't deny yourself the great pleasures of life. Appreciate a cute guy's company while you can!"

Seeing Joshua returning from his phone call, Sica started retreating. "Okay I have to go run, but remember!"

"I get it, I get it. Thanks for your words of wisdom." Maya blew a kiss in her direction.

Joshua came back to Maya's side, and noted Sica's exit. "Okay if your done with her, let's go to the café."

* * *

"Tia!" Maya hugged her friend, who was currently working at the very café that Maya wanted to get a job at.

Joshua noted the two girls had started animatedly chatting, and saw this as an opportunity to talk to the manager without Maya around. No doubt, if she was present during the conversation, she would pick up on something strange. Joshua was planning on imprinting on the café manager, to employ Maya. Although Joshua wasn't sure exactly how much Maya knew about the UG, but she might very well have knowledge of imprinting. He didn't want her to find out that he was imprinting on the manager though, as he wasn't sure how it would make her feel.

He went up to the counter of the café and asked for the manager. A middle-aged man emerged from the back room. Joshua looked him up and down. This would be easy.

After the two males stepped to the side of the hustle of the café, Joshua stared the man in the eye.

"So I hear you have a job vacancy." He started.

This wasn't true, but suddenly the manager felt like it _had_ to be true. "Yes, that's correct." The words we're out before he could process them.

Joshua nodded. "Okay, you're going to employ Maya Suzuki. That's the girl over there." He pointed.

The man looked over at Maya, then agreed. "Okay, call her over and we'll talk about the specifics of the job."

Joshua turned away and started walking towards Maya. Slowly, a smirk began to form on his face. It was that easy to get what he wanted.

His success had let a playful mood creep up onto him, and he casually slid his arm around Maya's waist. "I got you the job."

Maya's face reddened considerably, but as she was never an advocate of being shy, she played along. She leaned into Joshua's body. "Thank you." She looked up at his eyes.

Only then did she process Joshua's words. Snapping out of the faze, she straightened up and looked him dead in the eyes. "Wait, what? How did you get me the job? They said they weren't hiring!"

Tia, who had been standing there observing the pair, spoke up. "Yeah…I'm pretty sure we weren't hiring…"

Joshua flashed her an award-winning smile. "I can be pretty persuasive." Then he turned back to Maya. "We have to go over to the manager, he wants to talk to you about the job."

Maya nodded, in awe that Joshua had actually managed to get him the job. She hugged Tia goodbye, who gave her a look.

"Next time you are so telling me what's going on with this Joshua guy." Tia raised her eyebrows.

Maya shrugged, "there's nothing."

Once her friend had left, her and Joshua started walking towards the manager. Maya shot her companion a suspicious look. "How the hell did you manage to talk him into giving me a job?"

Joshua shrugged. "I'm all charisma and charm, Maya."

The two approached the manager, and Maya formally introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Maya Suzuki. Thank you so much for hiring me!"

The manager was not sure why he had hired her, but his mind was set on the issue, this girl was his new employee. "Yes, could you please fill out this form, just your personal details so that we can get in touch with you. Bring it tomorrow morning at 10am, which is when your first shift will be."

After thanking the man, Maya and Joshua left the café, Maya buzzing with the happiness of being employed.

* * *

Kariya and Uzuki sat side by side on the swings at a local park, which was empty because of the cold winds rushing through the park.

"So I never got to ask you about this again, but what were you doing with that Joshua kid?" Uzuki asked.

Kariya gulped. "Uhh, well…"

Uzuki ignored him, thinking out loud. "It can't be a coincidence that you've become the Conductor around the time you've started hanging out with that kid. Is he involved with the Composer?"

"Look Uzuki, I can't tell you anything about it…"

Uzuki shot up from her spot on the swing. "Wait I have a theory. I know something's up with that man, the one who owns Wildcat café. Hanekoma was it? Is he the Composer? Oh my god that would make so much sense! Then that Joshua kid must be his little messenger." Uzuki gave Kariya a suspicious look. "I'm completely right, aren't I?"

Kariya sighed. "Look Uzuki, you're on the right track…but you're not exactly there. Plus, even I don't know what's up with that Hanekoma guy."

Uzuki screamed, and then clenched her jaw and spoke through her teeth. "Well maybe if you told me something, I'd be a better confidant."

Kariya chucked. "Look, I called the Composer today because I knew that you would be asking questions. The Composer hasn't decided whether or not we can give you information, but I'll find out soon. Just be patient, Uzuki."

* * *

"So," Joshua started. "You going to say thanks?"

Maya raised an eyebrow at him. "I already said thanks."

"You said that mid-flirt so it didn't really seem too genuine."

Maya's jaw dropped. "Excuse me, I was not flirting with _you_."

"Anyways, I was expecting…" Joshua turned his body to face her, and started walking forwards, cornering her against a wall of the shopping centre. "I was expecting… a bit more of a… gracious response." He leaned his arm against the wall behind her.

Maya's eyes fluttered, shocked by his actions. "Um I…what do you mean?"

Joshua suddenly switched his attitude completely, dropping his arm and stepping away from her. "You're going to compensate with the bowl of ramen of course."

Maya was befuddled by his abrupt change. "Ramen…"

Joshua nodded, and started walking ahead. "Come on Maya, let's go to Ramen Don."

Maya took a deep breath, still unnerved by his hot and cold demeanour. Was he bipolar or something? Under her breath she whispered, "what the hell", before falling into step with Joshua.


	7. Chapter 7

Maya and Joshua entered Ramen Don, and Joshua looked over the menu.

Maya saw his eyes drifting to the high end part of the menu. "Please don't choose something expensive just because I'm buying it. I already spent too much money on my headphones."

Joshua chuckled. "Will do. Okay I'll just have a Shio Ramen."

Maya nodded, she went up to the counter, her mind spinning. She decided to just buy him the ramen and then ditch him. "Hello, can you just give one Shio Ramen to the boy over there?" She paid the man, and then while Joshua was looking elsewhere, made her escape.

As soon as she stepped out of the door, she made a sharp left, hiding near the side of the building. She felt extremely stealthy, and had made the decision to leave abruptly because of the unsettled feeling she was getting around Joshua. It couldn't be smart to spend so much time with someone she hardly knew anyway.

Pulling out her phone, she checked the time and decided to start walking away in 5 minutes. If she walked away from the building now, it was likely that Joshua would see her. She checked a text from Sica on her phone, who was congratulating her for getting the job, as she must have heard from Tia. The message also included an invite to go to the cinema with her and Tia the following day, after Maya and Tia's work shift finishes. Maya tapped back an affirmative reply, craving some girl time after being around the befuddling Joshua.

As she noted her 5 minutes were up, she tucked her phone back into her bag, took a cautious step around the corner…

…and came face to face with Joshua.

Maya let out a shocked gasp and stepped back. "Where did you come from?"

"I simply followed you as soon as you left. Did you really think I wouldn't notice?"

Maya struggled to think of words to explain her actions. "You should go back inside, your food is probably getting cold."

"Not as cold as you're being to me." He stated.

"I just bought you ramen, how can you say that?" She defended herself.

"You didn't even keep me company for my meal. If you were going to leave, you could have at least told me." Joshua reasoned.

"I just had a strange feeling that you wouldn't let me leave." Maya muttered.

"I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to." Joshua's tone suddenly dropped. "I'm just a little hurt, you can't stand being around me?" He bit his lip.

Maya tried to meet his gaze unflinchingly, knowing that he was playing a game with her. His words didn't match up with the alluring look he was giving her. But in the end, she gave in. "Fine, I'll eat with you, let's go inside."

Back in Ramen Don, Maya also decided to order a Shio Ramen as well, but when she went to pay for it, Joshua stopped her.

"I'll pay for your one." He gave money to the cashier and led Maya to a table where they got seated.

"Paying for my ramen basically negates the 'compensation' though."

Joshua's eyes twinkled. "That's okay, I don't need to be compensated for helping you. I was kidding around. Plus, I just wanted you to have lunch with me."

Maya looked confused. "You should have just asked me then."

"Well maybe it's a good idea that I didn't, considering I just caught you running away from me." He said.

Maya flushed, embarrassed by her own actions. "Oh…sorry about that."

Joshua shook his head. "Don't apologise, but I do want to know what caused your sudden departure."

Maya racked her brain, trying to put her feelings into words. "I just feel a little…uneasy around you. I guess it's because I've never spent so much time with someone who I hardly know. All I really know about you is your name, and when you add in the fact that you're involved in the UG, it paints a rather dubious picture. Plus, my good friend Uzuki has already told me her opinion of you, and clearly doesn't trust you."

Joshua slowly nodded, understanding where Maya was coming from. "Okay then, let's get to know each other a little better."

"How do you propose we do that?"

Joshua felt a genuine smile spread onto his face as he thought of an idea. "Let's play 20 questions."

Maya pondered over this, before returning the smile. "How can I say no, that's one of the only real smiles I've ever seen from you. You start."

Her response warmed his heart, but he tried not to show it.

"Favourite colour?"

"Purple." She answered, without skipping a beat. Only when she looked up from the food and into his very _violet_ eyes did she realise what her answer could be connected to. Hoping he didn't notice, she quickly asked him a question.

"What do your parents do?"

Joshua stopped eating abruptly. "Actually…both my parents passed away when I was 16. It was a car crash."

Maya was thrown off by this. "Oh…that must be really hard for you…" She trailed off, thinking about Joshua's words. She truly felt bad for him, but had he just said that his parents died when he was 16? Maya was 16 right now, and she had thought that Joshua was about the same age as her. However, he had talked about the event as if it had happened in the past. She stored her next question away in her mind and focused back on Joshua.

The boy in question was looking at her, slightly relieved. He was glad that Maya hadn't said 'I'm sorry', because he never understood why people apologise for things that weren't even their fault. Realising that it was his turn, he mustered up a quick question.

"Do you ever wish that you didn't have the ability to see the UG?"

Maya thought about it carefully. "Well…at the start, when I started seeing the UG, I got pretty scared because I thought I was going crazy. But now, I guess it's a part of me. I wouldn't be the same person if I didn't see the UG. Plus, I wouldn't have my amazing friend Uzuki. So, I wouldn't want to give it up now."

Joshua brightened, feeling happy that she didn't _despise_ the UG.

Maya spoke up. "Okay, my turn. How old are you? You said you were 16 in the past but you look about 16 right now."

Joshua froze. Damn. He stuffed up. Maya was too smart to let this slip through. Joshua had said nothing but the truth to her up till now, but what was he supposed to say now? Joshua was actually 2 years older than he looked, he was 18, allowing him to be the Composer. He took a deep breath and looked her in the eyes, deciding to be mostly honest.

"You're right, I'm actually 18, but I just look like I'm 16. I like being 16, because, well…it keeps the memory of my parents close. And also, despite that, it also keeps me strong. Like if I can deal with losing people close to me, then I can deal with anything." Joshua even surprised himself about how much he was willing to say to her. But he had reached a point where he had to lie. "And the reason why I'm able to do that…"

"Is because reapers don't age right? Kariya has been a reaper for a while, but he doesn't age. Neither does Uzuki." Maya said.

Joshua let out the breath he was holding. Saved by the bell. "Um, yea-"

"Wait but when I talked to you and Mr H about this, he said that you weren't exactly a normal reaper? Not to mention, the way you were talking about it seemed like you could _choose_ what age you appear to be."

Joshua couldn't think of a convincing lie, and with her questioning gaze burning holes in his face, he fumbled for an escape. "You can't ask two questions in a row. You already asked about my age, so you can't ask about this reaper business."

Maya's reaction told him straight away that he had said the wrong thing. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she crossed her arms in a hostile manner. Any sort of progress the two had made had just been ruined. Joshua had only served to build her mistrust in him, even though he had truly sought to do the opposite.

"Okay, shoot." Maya said.

Joshua fumbled to think of a question. "Uh, what's your favourite subject at school?"

"Maths, because it's straightforward and doesn't confuse you by giving mixed signals. My turn." Maya's voice was curt. "Are you a reaper?"

Okay so not only had he made her doubt him even more, but he also hadn't succeeded in avoiding the question. But showing indecision would only make it worse. The only chance he had of getting out of this was flat out lying. And confidence. "Yeah I'm a reaper but I'm only a low ranked one. Reapers tend to get more respect with age. That's probably why Uzuki doesn't trust me. And probably also because people tend not to trust boys this pretty." He flicked his hair nonchalantly.

Maya believed him. Although she did think his behaviour had been suspicious, what else could he be? Maybe he just didn't want to talk about it because it surrounded his parents' death. If he became a reaper at 16, it would make sense that he looks that age even though he is 18.

"Oh okay." She mumbled. "Your turn."

"Wait." He gestured to their finished bowls of ramen. "The staff have started giving us annoyed looks for sitting around after we've finished eating. We can keep playing while I walk you home."

Maya looked outside, seeing the afternoon sunlight. "It's still bright, I can go myself."

Joshua shook his head. "But I want to walk you home. Let's go."

As they got up and left, Joshua held open the door for her, and the two started walking in the direction of her house.

"Okay, my question. What's your favourite flower?"

"Red roses. Cliché, I know, but I can't help it." Maya smiled.

Joshua took in this information, and a knowing look overtook his face as he put his hand on her lower back and steered her away from the path.

"Joshua, my house is that way." She pointed.

"I know, we're just taking a quick detour."

Turns out that the quick detour happened to be a beautiful rose shrub, with red roses sprouting from it.

"Woah, I've never seen this before." Maya was in awe.

Joshua bent down and started pulling one of the roses of the shrub.

"Wait, there's thorns!" Maya shrieked.

But Joshua had already pulled his hand away, holding the rose. There was a small cut on his finger where the thorns had pierced his skin. The rose in his hand had been removed from its stem, meaning that it didn't have any thorns on it anymore. The Composer reached out and tucked it behind her ear.

He tilted his head. "Beautiful."

Maya blushed, her face starting to take on the shade of the very rose that was in her hair. No boy had ever called her beautiful before.

Then she looked down at his hand. "Crap, Josh there's blood on your hand!"

Joshua started walking ahead, and beckoned for her to follow. "It's no big deal." He had turned away from her partly so she wouldn't notice just how much it affected him when she called him by that nickname. Most people just called him Joshua, in fact the only one who called him Josh was Mr H, sometimes. And now Maya.

But Maya wasn't following him. He turned back to see the girl rummaging through her handbag. She pulled out a Band-Aid triumphantly. She quickly caught up to Joshua.

"Tah dah!" She held it up with a smile. Reaching down and grabbing Joshua's hand, Maya slowly opened the Band-Aid and carefully stuck it onto his skin. The quiet determination which drove her actions was fascinating to watch, as Joshua looked at her delicately holding his hand. He looked up at her face and was left staring. With not much distance between the two, he could see every detail on her face so well. He had to physically stop himself from reaching up and touching the smooth, milky skin she had. Not to mention the amount of self-control he needed to exhibit when he saw her biting her lip in concentration. What the hell was wrong with him?

"Okay, all done!" Maya held his hand up for him to see. "Is it okay?"

But Joshua couldn't stop staring at her face. Now that she was looking at his face, and not his hand, he could properly appreciate the chocolate brown of her eyes…

"Joshua!" Maya had dropped his hand and was instead giving him a puzzled look. "Come on, let's go."

He snapped out of his faze and continued walking alongside the girl. They asked each other a few more questions, and settled into a humorous mood.

When they reached Maya's house, Joshua had only one thing on his mind. He really needed to ask her one last thing.

"Okay, so I don't think we've reached 20 questions yet, but I only have one last question for today. Earlier, you asked me why I didn't just ask you out to lunch. And I don't know, maybe I wasn't sure you would say yes. But probably because it's not really in my nature to be like that. It's more like me to annoy people and irritate them."

Maya nodded along, not really seeing where this was going.

Joshua continued. "Anyway, my final question is…do you want to go out with me? On a date?"

Maya almost fell backwards into the gate at the front of her house. She hadn't been expecting _that_. At the start of today, she probably would have said no. But now she knew Joshua a little better, and even though he could be a little dodgy and arrogant, she liked him. She wanted to say yes.

Before she could reply though, Joshua took her reaction in a negative way. "It's okay if you don't want t-"

"Yes." She cut him off.

"What?"

Maya took a deep breath before saying her next words, saying them so fast that it was a wonder she was even comprehensible. "Yes I will go on a date with you, text me." With that, she quickly slipped inside the gate and closed it, before running up the stairs and entering her front door. The moment she was on the inside and the door closed, she leaned against it and breathed out, feeling the warmth on her face.

* * *

At Scramble Crossing, Kariya was laying down his case for Joshua.

"Look, I really think we should tell Uzuki about you being the Composer. She's going to work it out any way. In fact, she's already thought of a theory - Hanekoma is the Composer and you're his little 'messenger'. Probably the only reason that she hasn't guessed it's you is because you seem so young, and Hanekoma seems…older, and wiser. Plus, you were playing the game."

"Yeah, so she's not going to guess it's me." Joshua said, not seeing any room for discussion.

"What about Hanekoma? I can already tell he's not just a reaper. I don't know what he is, but I can tell you one thing. Uzuki poking around in his matters will be nothing but trouble for him."

Joshua reached up to massage his temples. It was usually unheard of for a Composer to reveal his identity to anyone but the Conductor. But…

"Fine." He said, the wheels of his brain turning. "Call her over right now."

Kariya seemed shocked at the sudden change of heart. He quickly pulled his phone out and called Uzuki, before Joshua had time to change his mind.

* * *

As soon as Kariya delivered the news to her, Uzuki headed for Scramble Crossing at full speed. She was going to meet the Composer!

But when she approached Kariya, she saw him standing there, talking to that brat. Joshua Kiryu. What was going on?

"Kariya." Uzuki approached the man warily. "I thought you said the Composer was ready to reveal himself?"

The two males exchanged looks, before Joshua gave a slight nod of approval to Kariya.

"So, a few days ago Joshua approached me, and offered me the position of Conductor." He said. "And he could do this because…" Kariya stepped from one foot to another, suddenly scared to drop the bombshell.

Next to him, Joshua rolled his eyes. "Because I'm the Composer."

Uzuki's eyes widened. "Um, okay that's not funny."

Joshua raised an eyebrow, and with that, he changed into his true Composer form for only a moment. When returning back to his normal form, he smirked.

Uzuki was shocked beyond belief. "You're actually…you're actually the Composer? Oh my god, I'm so sorry for always being rude to you. I didn't know…that's just how I behave around jerks. NOT that I think you're a jerk, no you're wonderful and-"

Joshua held up a hand. "Stop rambling. Now, you're not to tell anyone about my identity. You're the only exception I've made and there will be no other reapers who find out who I am. If you tell anyone, then you will be noise-food."

Uzuki's shook her head, wide-eyed. "No, I will never tell anyone, I promise."

"And one last thing." Joshua said. "You are not to discourage Maya about me."

Both Kariya and Uzuki stared at him for that. "Discourage her?" Kariya spoke up. "What do you mean?"

"Have you been talking to her?" Uzuki asked.

"Actually I even helped her get a job today." Joshua giggled.

Kariya and Uzuki shared a look. "Look I'm not going to disobey you, but it's just that I don't like the idea of Maya dealing with the UG. It's dangerous."

"I'm the Composer, and I'm telling you it's not dangerous for her to be involved with me. I can take care of her."

Both Kariya and Uzuki were taken by surprise. "_Involved?_"


	8. Chapter 8

Maya rolled out of bed, despite her blankets calling her back. She had to get ready, she was working her first shift today, and then watching a movie with Tia and Sica. This girl-time was much needed and had been a long time coming.

After she dressed in a simple outfit of jeans and a white shirt, Maya grabbed her bag and started going downstairs for breakfast when she heard the sound of a text message on her phone. Her phone which was still on her bedside table from charging all night.

Turning around, she mentally thanked the person who had texted her, because they had just saved her life. She had almost forgotten her phone!

She unplugged her phone and took it downstairs, grabbing some cereal and sitting on the table after saying a quick 'good morning' to both her parents. Her mum was making some scrambled eggs for her dad, who was making coffee for both of them.

Only then did she check her phone to see that the text message was from Joshua. Furrowing her brows, she was a bit confused why he was texting her so early in the morning, when it struck her. The date. Feeling a blush rise up on her cheeks again, she quickly unlocked her phone and read the message.

_Joshua Kiryu: Are you free today?_

She tapped back a quick reply. _No, sorry not today._

As always, his reply was instant. _Tomorrow? 11am at Ramen Don?_

Maya smiled. _Sounds perfect._ And she meant it. She was excited about seeing him tomorrow. Maya didn't really go on dates that often. Certainly not with boys as handsome yet infuriating as him.

* * *

"Order for table 3 is ready!" The barista shouted.

Maya quickly grabbed the cup of coffee and took it to the particular table. On the way back to the counter, she saw a recently emptied table, with spilt coffee and bits of muffin. She reached into her apron for the cloth she used to wipe down the tables and quickly returned it to its former glory.

Reaching the counter again, she found another order ready for her to take. Maya kept going at full-speed, despite the fact that she was already feeling tired. How did Tia work here all day? It was so tiring! Maya supposed that she would soon get used to it, but for now, she would have to really focus on getting through her shift. She saw Tia cleaning some more counters in the café and smiled at her friend. The café was so busy that she hadn't even had a chance to talk to her since their shift began, even though they were working at the same time.

Maya continued her diligent approach to work, smiling at all the customers and carefully dispensing orders. Finally, when her shift finished, she went to the back room to get her bag, and saw Tia.

"Woah I'm so tired." Maya said.

Tia chucked. "Don't worry, that was what I thought the first time I worked here, but you'll soon forget about it. I reckon it's because otherwise we were just lounging around for our whole holidays so actually working now is a shock to the system."

"That's actually a pretty plausible explanation." Maya smiled. "Now let's go, can't keep Sica waiting!"

* * *

Maya, Sica and Tia were waiting in the line for popcorn, movie tickets in hand.

However, Maya was finding that her much need girl-time was also being dominated by talk of Joshua, considering that both her friends had met him the previous day.

"And I swear we weren't hiring but he still got her the job." Tia was filling Sica in on the details.

"And they seem super cosy right?" Sica winked. "He was playing with his hair when I saw them."

"Aw, that's adorable. At the café he even put his arm around her waist, and Maya didn't seem to be complaining."

Both girls turned to look at Maya.

Maya raised her hands up in defence. "I didn't do anything!"

Tia shook her head. "I saw you!"

Sica and Tia laughed at Maya's reaction.

"But hey, it's a good thing." Sica said. "He's really hot."

Tia nodded. "He seems really nice as well."

At this Maya scoffed. Really nice?

Sica's voice dropped a little. "I mean, you haven't really dated anyone since Hiro…and maybe it'll be good for you."

Maya bit her lip, remembering the end of her previous, and only, actual relationship.

"Well," she spoke up. "Hiro seemed really sweet at the start, but he was actually such an ass. He always wanted to control everything I did, and even lied to me. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's lying." Maya was sinking deep into the thought of Hiro, but shook away the bad memories, taking a more humorous tone. "Now, just saying, Joshua is kind of already an ass, so things can only go uphill from here."

This earned a laugh from both her friends. Tia and Sica also exchanged a relieved look. Usually, bringing up Hiro wasn't received well by Maya, but today seemed like an improvement. Maybe this was a good sign.

The girls took their popcorn and got seated in the cinema, but it was still a little early.

"Um guys I should probably tell you…" Maya twiddled her fingers. "That I'm going on a date tomorrow. With Joshua."

Sica choked on her popcorn, while Tia turned wide-eyed to look at her.

"So your telling me, that we've been talking about him this whole time, and you choose now to tell us?" Tia said.

"Um…yeah." Maya looked nervous.

Sica and Tia both gave her wide smiles. "THIS IS GREAT!"

Unfortunately, they got shushed by someone in the row behind them. "The movie is starting."

* * *

After the movie finished, the girls quickly escaped the cinema and started bombarding Maya with questions.

"How did he ask you?"

"What are you going to wear?"

"Where are you guys going?"

"Do you have nicknames for each other?"

Maya gave both her friends weird looks. "Okay guys calm down. Stop making me more nervous about it then I already am."

The look her on Tia and Sica's faces showed that they still expected answers to their questions.

"Okay, well we were playing 20 questions and that was the last question he asked me. I don't know what I'm going to wear, probably jeans. We're going to Ramen Don. And um, I call him Josh, I guess."

"Awwww…you guys are so cute!" Tia could not stop smiling.

It was Sica who had a disgusted look on her face. "Jeans? You're wearing jeans today. You don't wear jeans to a date."

Maya shrugged. "But it's a casual date. We're going to Ramen Don."

Sica looked unconvinced. "Well maybe it would be okay, but I mean, it's going to be hot tomorrow. Wear a casual dress instead!"

"Okay fine, fine. I'll wear a dress." Maya promised.

It was then that split and went their separate ways, especially because Sica had a big family dinner and had to get home early.

"You have to tell us everything about the date, okay?" Tia told Maya.

"Yes, we'll come over to your house and you can give us the juicy details." Sica said.

Maya blushed. "Okay but please don't say juicy details. It's weird. See you guys soon!"

The three girls went their separate ways. Maya was about to head home when she saw Kariya and Uzuki talking outside Shibuya Dept. Store, in the UG. She was about to approach them when she overheard something strange.

"Uzuki, I can't believe you haven't calmed down yet. It's no big deal." Kariya was looking exasperated.

"No big deal?" She screeched. "It's actually him. Joshua Kiryu. Oh I shouldn't call him that anymore. What do I say?"

Kariya looked down on his watch. "Yeah and speaking of him, I need to go meet him now. And you can call him that, he doesn't really want any fancy names I think. Besides, you're not really going to be having too much direct contact with him anyway."

Uzuki shook her head, looking annoyed at herself. "I can't believe how rude I was to him. I'm such an idiot."

Kariya laughed. "It was actually pretty funny to see your reaction when you found out."

Uzuki whacked his arm. "Shut up!"

The two reapers then went in opposite directions, Kariya on his way to visit Joshua.

Maya pressed herself against the entrance of the shopping centre, and neither reapers saw her. She was utterly confused. Why were they talking about Joshua like that? Joshua had said that he was a new reaper, but that didn't explain anything. And why did Kariya go see Joshua so often? Suspicion had sparked within her, and uneasiness took over.

Something was off, and Maya was determined to find out. With that goal in mind, she stepped away from the shopping centre and followed after Kariya, staying a safe distance away. She had to make sure he didn't see her.

* * *

Maya followed Kariya discreetly all the way to the West Exit Bus Terminal. When he stopped walking abruptly, she almost had a heart-attack. Had he spotted her?

Luckily he hadn't. He had stopped because he was being approached by Joshua. Upon reaching his destination, Joshua started talking to Kariya. Maya was too far to hear them, and tried to inch closer. During this process, she noted that others walking around the area did not notice the two males, because they were in the UG. Kariya's wings protruded magnificently from his back, and as always, she was awestruck by the beauty of reaper wings.

Only then did she feel a drop in her stomach, as if something was really, really wrong. Because it had just struck her that despite his claims to be a new reaper, Joshua didn't have wings. Maya gulped, unable to comprehend what this might mean. From what she knew of the UG, she could only conclude that Joshua had lied to her. Now she _had_ to hear what they were talking about.

She hid amongst groups of people and carefully went closer to Kariya and Joshua, who seemed to be so deep in conversation that they weren't paying attention to others in the RG. This was probably also because they were facing the opposite direction from her, towards the Station Underpass. She could hear snippets of their conversation, because being in the UG meant that they didn't really have to worry about anyone overhearing them. It would never have crossed either of their minds that she would come here, because she normally wouldn't. Maya focused on their voices, trying to bring them to clarity.

"Yes, so we will be starting a game soon, and once that happens we'll need to have a bit more order. We'll mostly be at the Shibuya river then, instead of wandering around like now, and talking about such important things in the middle of nowhere." Joshua's tone was business-like and authoritative.

Kariya laughed. "True, I never saw Kitanji out prowling the streets. But I did see _you_."

Maya thought about their words, trying to find meaning. Obviously they were talking about the next game. And she had heard from Uzuki that Kariya was the new Conductor, which seemed very deserving, in her opinion. But why was he talking about it with Joshua?

"Well I like to have my fun." Joshua smirked. "How's Uzuki taking the news? Still a shock to the system, I suppose."

Kariya nodded. "I don't blame her though, your real identity was unexpected for her."

Maya frowned. Real identity? What were they talking about?

"I hope I don't regret my decision of telling her." Joshua replied.

"I know it's customary that only the Conductor knows who the Composer is, but Uzuki will never utter a word about it. Except to me." Kariya assured.

"That's good to know. Being the Composer, I already have heaps to worry about."

Maya froze. Composer. Joshua was the _Composer_ of Shibuya. She remembered when Uzuki was teaching her how the game worked, she spoke of the Composer with so much respect. 'The highest power in Shibuya', she had said, 'the ruler of the UG'. He who dictates what they do, the leader of the reapers. Maya was filled with disbelief and shock, but she couldn't deny what she had heard. It had to be true.

Worried that they were going to see her, Maya tried to concentrate on Kariya and Joshua again. But she didn't need to worry. They were walking away in the opposite direction, going into the Station Underpass. Once they were out of sight, Maya turned and ran.

When she finally reached home, physically drained and emotionally unstable, she collapsed on her bed.


	9. Chapter 9

Maya suffered a restless night. She tossed and turned, tangling her blankets diabolically. The first half of the night was spent thinking about Joshua's role as Composer. He seemed like a snarky teenager, how could she have known that he had power over life and death? Then, the early hours the next day, she realised that she was supposed to be going on a date with him. In literally a few hours.

She had to cancel. Maya couldn't bring herself to go to that date. This new discovery terrified her. Not only had Joshua blatantly lied to her, but the truth was so much scarier. She reached for her phone, and just saw that he had texted her last night. Joshua Kiryu: _Can't wait to see you tomorrow ;)_

She had to stop herself from shrieking, and settled her phone back on the bedside. She couldn't look at him the same way anymore. Trying to clear her head, Maya started formulating a plan. If she texted Joshua now, cancelling the date, then he would start asking questions. But if she left it until 11am, then it would be so late that he wouldn't be able to do anything. He would already be at the Ramen Don, waiting for her.

With this plan in her mind, she pulled the covers over her head and willed sleep to come. One hour later, she still had no luck. Instead she just stared at the ceiling, how she had gotten herself into this mess?

When it hit 9 o'clock, which is when she would typically wake up on holidays, she heard activity downstairs. Her parents having breakfast. She wanted to go down and join them but was scared that they would figure out that something was wrong. Maya pushed the covers back and got up anyway. She could always blame it on being tired from working her first shift yesterday.

"Morning mum, morning dad." Maya said as she descended the stairs.

"Morning Maya." They said in unison. "Do you want some eggs?" Said her mother, who was in the process of scrambling some eggs.

"I'm good." Maya was feeling a bit nauseated, on top of the massive headache she had. It was probably a combination of shock, terror and no sleep. Instead she just had a piece of toast, and flicked the channels on their TV. She willed for the time to pass so that she could go and text Joshua, cancelling their date, but was also dreading it.

Finally it was 10:40, and she deemed the time acceptable to text him. She bounded up the stairs, two steps at a time and when she reached her room, she quietly shut the door. Maya sat on her bed and looked down at her phone in her hands. It was open to a new text message to _Joshua Kiryu_.

She didn't know what to say. Should she make an excuse? She could say that she had to help her mum around the house. But what if he decided to kill her mum out of annoyance? He was the _Composer. _While Maya did feel like she was overreacting with that thought, she couldn't be sure. If he decided who would live and who would die, he practically had murdered people.

With that, she tapped out a two word answer. _Can't come._ Two words were all that she could offer him. Any more time she spent thinking about this, she would feel even worse.

She threw her phone into the array of blankets and flew down the stairs.

Her parents gave her a worried look at the sight of her distressed face.

"Are you okay?" Asked her father.

Maya shook off their concern. "I just feel a little sick. I'm going to go for a walk and get some fresh air."

* * *

Maya had walked for a long time, aimlessly wandering the streets of Shibuya. She found herself stopping at Cat Street, standing dangerously close to a certain café. She carefully peered through the glass to see if any fair-haired, handsome teenage boys could be seen. When she was satisfied that Joshua wasn't lurking in any corner of the café, she walked through the doors.

The café admitted her with a chime of the door, and Sanae Hanekoma looked up at her from his position behind the counter, his eyes widening at the sight of her.

"Maya." He looked up at the clock, which was showing the time to be 11:08. "Aren't you supposed to be with Joshua right now?"

She ignored his questioning tone, and sat herself on one of the stools at the counter. The café was completely empty apart from the two of them. "I heard something yesterday."

Mr H quirked an eyebrow, urging her to continue.

Maya wasn't exactly sure why she was here, but Mr H seemed like the right person to talk to, despite the fact that he was on Joshua's side. "I heard Kariya and Joshua talking. From what they were saying, I found out that Joshua is the Composer." She looked up to meet his eyes, having a small amount of hope that Mr H would debunk her belief and tell her that it was all some big misunderstanding.

Immediately, that hope was crushed. Mr H's face slacked in shock, but it was evident that she had spoken the truth. He seemed to be at a loss for words, and the two were silent for a few moments.

"Have you told Joshua that you found out?" Mr H finally asked.

"No, I just cancelled our date." Maya replied.

Mr H held his head in his hands resignedly. "What are you going to do now?"

Maya shrugged. "I just don't understand…If he's the Composer of Shibuya, if he has so much power and status, why is he bothering with me? Is he just messing around with me for fun?"

Mr H shook his head. "No, don't ever think that. He's not messing around with you." He sucked in a deep breath. "Okay, well I'm not going to speak for him, but I'll tell you what I think. I've known Joshua for a very long time, ever since he was little. He used to see the UG just like you, and I would explain everything to him. When his parents died…he changed. He became obsessed with the UG, immersing himself in this world. I used to tell him that he should stay on the outside, and shouldn't involve himself with it. But he wanted to be a part of it. I'm not going to go through the specifics, but he became the Composer. He's spent time dictating life and death, looking over Shibuya as a higher power. But he's still just a boy. I guess, maybe he's started to feel a little lonely. And I know for sure that he's not just messing with you. He genuinely likes you, and he's interested in you."

Maya had been listening intently. "I guess, I kind of understand…but he's still the Composer, and that still scares me. Plus, he lied to me. I can't put up with being lied to."

Mr H smiled sadly. "You shouldn't have to put up with being lied to. You don't deserve it. But try to understand that this is connected to what I said before. He's just a boy. He wanted you to see him that way, as a normal teenager. If he had been honest with you, and told you that he was so deeply involved with the UG, that he was the Composer, then you would never have agreed to go out with him."

Maya gave him a weary look. She came here to get some answers, but had only managed to get herself more confused and conflicted. "Are you going to tell Joshua that I know he's the Composer?"

"I'm sorry Maya, I have to. I'll give you some time to prepare yourself though, maybe I'll tell him in a day or so. Not only is he going to be confused that you cancelled on him, but I have to inform him about _anyone_ knowing his identity anyway. It's protocol. We can't have heaps of people knowing about the Composer."

Maya's eyebrow shot up in surprise. "Protocol? So every time someone finds out who the Composer is, you guys take some action?

Mr H scratched the back of his head. "Er…well it doesn't really happen that often…but we _do_ have a plan." Looking up at Maya's questioning expression, he decided to just admit it. "Usually, it's someone who's trying to challenge the Composer, in which case Joshua has to protect himself. But…if it's just a random person…we have to take their memories."

Maya gasped. "Are you going to take my memories?"

"Well…I think it's Joshua's decision. But maybe you'd happier if you forgot…" Mr H trailed off.

"No! I don't want people messing with my brain." Maya was disgusted. "If you take my memories, I might stupidly trust Joshua again."

She took long strides along the room, and upon reaching the door, she looked back.

"Tell Joshua what you want. But make him promise that won't call me. I don't want to talk to him."

* * *

When Maya reached home, she found both her parents waiting for her.

"Maya, we were going to go shopping, but since you seemed unwell…we wanted to wait until you came home first." Her mother said.

"You left your phone upstairs, by the way." Her father added.

"Oh…yeah." Maya gave them a reassuring smile. "I'm feeling a lot better now. I think it was just because I didn't get much sleep."

Her mother gave her a concerned look. "Are you sure dear?"

"Yeah, don't worry, you guys can go shopping. After all, I'm probably just going to laze around or take a nap."

Her mother and father nodded, grabbed the keys and moved towards to exit.

"Okay, if you feel unwell again, remember to call us! We'll be back in a couple of hours." Her father told her.

Maya gave him a nod. When the door finally closed, and she was alone, she breathed out an air of relief. She pondered over the information she had gotten from Mr H. She had hoped to hear something that would give her some closure, something that would make her sure of her decision. But she was still so conflicted.

She walked upstairs to her room and picked up her phone. There was a reply from Joshua Kiryu, _Why can't you come? What happened? _Along with 5 missed calls from him. Uh oh. She ignored it anyway, and bounded down the stairs. She reached her couch and started flicking channels on her TV.

Half an hour later, she heard the doorbell ring. Casting a befuddled look at the clock, she wondered why her parents were back home so early. She didn't find it too weird, because even though her parents had taken their keys, sometimes when they knew she was home, they just rang the doorbell instead.

She quickly unlocked the door, and swung it open. But instead of standing face-to-face with her parents, she saw a certain Joshua Kiryu instead. Her eyes widened. She attempted to close the door, even though she knew it wouldn't achieve much, but she didn't want to face him.

He quickly put his arm out and stopped the door by pushing his hand against it, all while stepping closer. Maya gulped.

"Maya, what happened? Why did you cancel? Do you know how worried I got when you didn't answer my calls?" Joshua's eyes were wide in concern, which only made it harder for Maya. What was she supposed to say?

She supposed she could just pretend she changed her mind. "I just didn't want to go on the date with you anymore." Maya tried to keep a cool indifference on her face, but seeing Joshua's face falter with hurt, she felt a pang of regret.

"Oh. Well, can you at least tell me why? And are you going to invite me in?" Joshua asked, expectantly.

Panic caused a knot to form in Maya's stomach. She couldn't just invite the Composer inside. But she had to concentrate on the fact that Joshua didn't know that _she_ knew.

"Um, sure." She stepped aside, letting the boy's slim figure inside.

Joshua was inspected Maya, worried by her weird behaviour. Something was off. As always, he knew that he had the option to scan her, but didn't want to. He would first try to get her to tell him, and leave scanning as a last resort.

"So, what made you change your mind?" Joshua asked, with the gentlest tone that he could muster.

Maya was standing a notable distance away from him, near the wall. She decided that hostility might be the best way to get him to leave.

She stuck her chin up defiantly. "Is it that hard to believe that a girl isn't interested in you?"

Joshua raised an eyebrow. Was she really claiming that she _wasn't_ attracted to him? He took a few long steps towards Maya and backed her up against the wall. "That's not what it seemed like last time I was with you. After all, you agreed to go on a date with me?"

Maya was frightened. Although she was excited that Joshua was so close to her, and she felt her heart beat fast, she knew that there were two reasons for that. Apart from her feelings, she was also really scared of him. Was he going to lose his temper at her?

Joshua heard her heartbeat increasing, but took this as a good sign. Leaning closer towards her, he let his eyes drop to her lips. But when he looked back up to her eyes, he realised that…she seemed to be scared?

He leaned back a little. "Hey, Maya, are you alright?"

Maya mustered up a bit of confidence. "Yeah, I'm fine, but what's not alright is the way you keep coming on to me. I'm not interested!" She pushed him away, and stalked towards the door. "I think you should leave."

Joshua was adamant though. He still hadn't got a clear answer from her. "I'm not leaving until you give me a legitimate reason for acting this way."

Maya had reached the end of her straw. "Fine! I know you're the Composer! Happy now?" She looked at him with burning eyes.

His jaw dropped. "How did you-" His words trailed off as the wheels of his brain started turning. How had she found out? Had Uzuki told her?

"Joshua." Hearing her say his name brought him back to the moment. "Is that a legitimate enough reason? I know you're the Composer, and _I'm scared of you_. If that's some sadistic thing that makes you happy then you've heard it. I'm terrified. Now can you please leave. I never want to see you again."

He was speechless. This was the last thing he expected to hear when he came to Maya's house.

Joshua took a step towards her. "Maya, you don't have to be scared, I would never-"

"Please Josh. Just go." Her voice was low, and saying each word caused a searing pain in her chest. Nonetheless, she opened the door and gave him an expectant look.

Joshua had realised that any reasoning with her would be futile. He gave her a short nod and left her house.

Maya closed the door behind him and leaned against it, breathing out. A feeling of déja-vu washed over her. Only two days ago, she had been doing the exact same thing after Joshua asked her out on a date. Now, she had just seen him leave, and was half-hoping that it would be the last time she saw him.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Kind of a filler chapter, sorry ):

* * *

When Maya finally composed herself enough to go up to her room, she reached for her phone. Firstly, she attended to messages in a group chat with Tia and Sica. Naturally, they were asking about the date, and whether they could come over.

Currently, that was the last thing she wanted. Her RG friends wouldn't understand. Instead she typed back a reply saying that she cancelled the date because she found out the 'ugly truth' about him, and that he was a real douchebag. She told them not to come over, and promised more details later, which would hopefully sustain them for now.

Then, she dialled a different number.

"Hello?" Uzuki's voice rang through her ears.

"Uzuki." Maya smiled at the familiar tone of her friend.

"What's up, I feel like I haven't talked to you in days!"

Maya bit her lip. She didn't want to tell Uzuki over the phone. "Can you come over? I need to talk to you. It's about Joshua."

Silence. No answer from Uzuki for a good 10 seconds.

"Have you been talking to him a lot?" She asked.

"Just come over. I'll tell you when you get here." Maya finished the conversation.

* * *

Uzuki looked down at the phone in her hands, worried about her friend. What did she want to say about Joshua?

"Was that Maya? What was she saying?" Kariya walked towards her, standing in the middle of Scramble Crossing.

"She wants me to come over…to talk about Joshua." Uzuki mumbled.

Kariya's eyes widened. "Uh oh. What exactly about Joshua? I really hope she's just admiring his good looks, and nothing more. Although it sounds weird that I'm saying that."

Uzuki shook her head. "She sounded pretty serious." She looked up at him. "Maybe you should come as well.

* * *

This time, when Maya opened the door, she saw a welcome sight. She quickly gave both Uzuki and Kariya a hug, slightly surprising them, and ushered them inside.

Once they were seated in couch area, Maya started telling them the story. While explaining how Joshua had asked her out on a date, and how she had agreed, she got a few viscous looks from Uzuki.

"Joshua Kiryu asked you out. And you didn't even tell me?" Uzuki was shocked.

Maya tugged on her hair awkwardly. "Well, I just wanted to see how it went first. Anyway, that's not the important part."

She continued to explain how she had overheard Kariya and Joshua talking, leading to her discovery of Joshua's true identity. Once they had recovered from their initial shock of her knowledge on the issue, Uzuki whacked Kariya's arm. Hard.

"You idiot, why didn't you hide it better! You can't just talk to the Composer in the middle of a busy area."

"We didn't sense any other UG energies. It didn't even cross our minds that Maya would come there." Kariya reasoned.

Uzuki gave him an unimpressed look, then turned to Maya. "Then what did you do?"

"Well…this morning I cancelled the date. And then I went and talked to Mr H." She quickly summarised what Mr H had told her, even the part about them deleting memories.

"Oh I've heard of that protocol." Kariya said. "Don't worry Maya, they won't use it on you. I think both Joshua and Hanakoma are quite fond of you. In different ways of course. Besides, I must have some pull as Conductor. I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

"What's the deal with Hanakoma, anyway?" Uzuki asked Kariya.

"I'm not sure…but I get why you went to him Maya. He seems like a man who always has answers. Although, he seems to work closely with the Composer, so he would have told Joshua everything."

Maya nodded. "He said he would tell Joshua in about a day's time, by tomorrow, so I guess it makes sense that when Joshua turned up here, he didn't know that I had found out."

Uzuki's jaw dropped. "He turned up here?"

"Yeah…In fact, I called you almost as soon as he left."

She proceeded to tell them about his visit and his demands to know why she had cancelled, although she left out the details about her heart beating so fast because he was close to her.

"Oh, so even though Hanakoma's going to tell him tomorrow, Joshua already knows." Kariya said.

Uzuki put a reassuring arm around Maya. "Are you okay? You must have been really scared. After all, you always try not to involve yourself in the UG. The Composer is the very _heart_ of the UG."

Maya gave her a sad smile. "I'll be okay. I just…I really liked him. But I never expected this, and it's honestly so overwhelming."

"Look, it's probably best that you stay away." Kariya advised. "It's not that I think Joshua will do anything bad to you, in fact, he seemed to legitimately like you. He would have treated you well. But any involvement in the UG is not good, and considering you've been doing fine avoiding it up until now, I think you should continue that way."

"And I can tell that you really liked him Maya, " Uzuki said. "But it's good that you're finding out right now. You can't build trust, friendship or anything more based on lies and deceit. It's good that you know the truth. And it's good that you can make your own _informed_ decision. If you're scared, then stay away, just like Kariya has told you. It's probably best."

Maya gave them both a smile. "Thanks guys, you're probably right. And I kind of need to stay away for my sanity as well. I always thought he was irrevocably confusing, probably because he was hiding such a big secret."

When Maya heard her parents come back, Kariya and Uzuki quickly reverted to the UG, and waited for her outside. Maya had a shift at work starting soon, at 5pm, and they were going to walk her to 104. Her parents walked past them, into the house, unable to see the strange duo.

"We're back, Maya!" Her dad's cheery voice streamed through the entrance.

"You feeling alright?" Her mother asked, still concerned.

Maya nodded. "Yeah, I feel totally fine now. Which is good because I have to go to work now."

"Oh, yeah. Maybe we should drop you off." Her father suggested.

Maya was quick to refuse. "No, don't worry about it, it's not a long walk, and it's still quite bright outside."

Her parents begrudgingly agreed. "But I'm definitely going to pick you up when your shift ends okay? It'll be too dark by then." Her dad said.

"Thanks dad. It ends at 9pm." Maya said. Working for 4 hours would be tiring, but the café would get less crowded as night fell, and it would be easier on her.

When she left the house, Kariya and Uzuki silently walked by her in the UG, until they were a safe distance away. In a secluded area, they took their RG forms and left their wings behind.

"If he tries contacting you, tell me." Kariya was saying. "I can't really order him to stay away from you, but I can try to talk to him."

"He won't contact me." Maya said, in a flat tone. "I think he got the message that I don't want him near me."

"That's good…right?" Uzuki asked, slightly thrown off by Maya's flat tone.

"Yeah of course." Maya smiled.

Upon reaching 104, she bid goodbye to her friends, and immersed herself in work, trying to keep her mind off Joshua Kiryu.


	11. Chapter 11

The school holidays had finished, and Maya had returned to school. She was trying to give her life some order, balancing work, school and her friends. Of course, thoughts of Joshua would inevitably creep up onto her, bringing upon a melancholy mood. To combat this, she had started trying to bury herself in studies and work, trying to keep constantly busy so that her mind wouldn't drift to such topics.

It was a Friday morning, and students were walking around the school like zombies, half-awake. It happened to be a free dress day today, so the school yard was an array of colours. For Maya, that had been a bit of a headache, because she was expecting to wear her normal uniform until she got a reminder text from Tia, and she put on some random clothes. Maya had barely even paid any attention to see if they looked good. Everyone was thankful that it was Friday, as the first week of school after the holidays always seemed unbearably long, and the weekend was like the light at the end of a tunnel. As Maya reached her classroom, she caught sight of Tia and Sica. This was her favourite class, maths, both because she loved the subject, and also because it was the only subject where she was together with her two best friends. She had English with Sica, and Biology with Tia, but it was only in maths that the trio of best friends could be together. Of course, she had friends in her other classes, but this class had her favourite people.

"Hey guys!" Maya greeted her friends and took a seat.

"Hey Maya!" Tia gave her a bright smile.

Sica, on the other hand, was scrutinising her appearance. She was taking in Maya's red skirt and purple top. "You're wearing red and purple. _Together_."

"Wow, thanks for judging Sica." Maya's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"I'm not judging! You always look beautiful! I'm just saying that they're both nice pieces of clothing, but they don't really suit each other. And I mean, you've always had great fashion sense. But recently…maybe your mind has been elsewhere." Sica said kindly.

"Your mind has _definitely_ been somewhere else." Tia gave Maya a pointed look.

"Yeah I guess so…" Maya couldn't deny it.

"Is this still about that Joshua kid?" Tia asked, and noted Maya's eyes widening. "I still don't really understand."

"Same. Maybe we would understand if you told us some details. Everything you've said is vague." Sica said.

"He's just not a good person, okay?" Maya said abruptly. That was basically as she had told her friends, that he was a bad person and she found out some horrible things about him. She couldn't really tell them any details. But of course, they were her friends, and they could tell that it impacted on her mood. And her fashion sense, evidently.

"Okay guys, today we're continuing the chapter on functions." Their maths teacher walking in with his booming voice, silencing all conversations across the room.

Maya let out a breath of relief. Saved by the bell.

* * *

When the school day finally finished in the afternoon, Maya had to go to work. Luckily, she had her shift at the same time as Tia, and they walked to 104 together, animatedly chatting.

"I am so swarmed with homework." Tia was saying. "I can't believe they gave us so much, even on the first week."

"I know. But at least it's mostly maths. My favourite." Maya smiled.

Tia laughed. "I don't understand how you can _love_ maths. I tolerate it at best. You're taking advanced maths as well right? I pray for your soul."

"Extend your prayers to Sica as well. She's got so much Art homework. She's definitely very artistic and creative, but all those projects take up so much time!" Maya said.

When the two reached closer to 104, Tia's voice dropped a in volume.

"Okay, I just remembered, I was going to ask you something. What do you think about Brandon?"

Maya raised her eyebrows. "Brandon our co-worker? The one who works as a barista?"

A slightly dreamy look overcame Tia's eyes. "I think he's kinda cute. We've started talking a little. He seems really nice as well."

Maya broke out into a grin. "Oh my god. I actually approve. He _is_ really nice. Is he in high school?"

"Yup, he goes to that high school near Molco. He's a year older than us though, so he's in his second last year."

Maya gave her a playful nudge. "Not bad…do you think he likes you?"

"I honestly have no idea. The thing is, he's been really friendly to me, but I'm not sure if there's anything more. But don't mention anything to him."

"Of course I wouldn't!" Maya reassured.

When they reached the café, they found out their responsibilities for the shift. Maya was to be a waitress today, while Tia was going to stay at the cashier. Closer to Brandon, who was at the side of the counter, making coffee.

"What a coincidence!" Maya winked at Tia. "Good luck."

Whilst taking out the orders and wiping down tables, Maya chanced a few glances in Tia's direction. She was met with the sight of Tia and Brandon laughing and playfully chucking some cloths at each other, as there were no customers currently at the counter. She grinned, there was _definitely_ something there with those two.

* * *

Maya's shift finished at 6pm, and unfortunately she had to walk home. Today was kind of a day of abnormalities, as she always had the option of getting her parents to pick her up if it was the evening. However today, both of them were not at home. They were attending a function from her father's work, and would be back later in the night.

So, off she went, on her way home. The air was slightly chilly, and she pulled her jacket around her tightly. Her bag was hanging off one arm, the zips making a constant tinkling sound with each step she took. She was thankful that her house wasn't too far. She hated walking home late in the evening.

About halfway there, she heard a curious sound from of the side alleys. It sounded strangely like…a group of men, chuckling in their low voices. The stench of alcohol also seemed to waft out of there. Maya kept her eyes on the road and hurried forward.

"Hey, sweetheart, where are you going?" A drunken man emerged from that very alley.

Maya ignored him and continued onwards. She just needed to get home, or at least to a residential neighbourhood where petty men like him would not be able to do anything.

Another man emerged him, and jogged up towards her. "That's a nice bag you have there." With his voice slurring and his steps wobbly, he came closer to her. "Looks expensive. I wonder what else is in there. A phone perhaps? A wallet?"

Maya had tried to back away from him, but despite his drunk state, he grabbed her arm with a surprisingly strong force.

"Get off me!" She said, and tried to break free of his grasp.

The other man came up behind her. "It's okay, darling, we just want your money."

Maya shot him a venomous look. She was incredibly scared, but would not go down without a fight. She swiftly kneed one man in the balls, and he doubled over in pain. Then, she kicked other one in the stomach and quickly started running away. Unfortunately, they recovered fast.

"You're gonna pay for that, you little witch." One of the men said. He threw something at her, and only when it had sliced a deep cut across her forearm did she realise that it was a knife. She cried out from the searing pain but continued to run, knowing that she didn't have time to fuss over that injury right now.

Just then, everything behind Maya was hit by a blinding white glow. She heard the men groaning, and thumps signified them hitting the floor. She kept backing away, unsure about the source of this light. The glow faded away, and she could see clearly again. She saw the back of a boy, dressed in black jeans and a light grey shirt. Joshua.

He turned around. "Are you okay Maya?" Worry laced his tone, and his eyes frantically scanned over her, stopping to rest on her bleeding arm. He took a few quick paces to reach her.

"I'm okay." Maya said. "Thanks to you…I guess." Although over the time they hadn't seen each other, nothing had changed regarding her opinion about Joshua's position as Composer, she was still so relieved to see him. He _had_ saved her. And his presence was so comforting to her after her encounter with the drunken thieves that she momentarily forget about his true identity, despite just seeing him in action. She threw her arms around his neck, and gave him a hug, seeking comfort.

Joshua froze. He had expected her to scream at him to go away, or give him a cold treatment, but here she was, hugging him. Joshua wound his arms around her slim waist and returned the hug. He decided not to think too much into it. It just happened to be that this time, she was more scared by the thieves than she was by him. He soothingly patting her back, and felt his fingers slip over her incredibly soft brown hair.

Soon, they drew back, and Joshua focused on her bleeding cut again. "Maya, your arm is bleeding. Let's get you home."

Maya was still too shaken to give a proper response, and simply nodded, letting him walk her home. When they reached the Suzuki house, she opened the door and stepped inside.

"Uh, thanks Josh, I mean- Joshua. I guess I'll just put a Band-Aid on my arm."

Joshua raised an eyebrow. "A Band-Aid? That's not going to fix it. That looks like a pretty deep cut, and it's going to need first aid. Get your parents to do it."

Maya shook her head. "They're not home. They're both at a function and won't come home for a few hours."

At that Joshua made up his mind. "Well, you certainly can't do first aid with one hand." He pushed past her into the house. "I'll do it."

Maya was about to protest, but then realised that it was the only solution that made sense. She silently closed the door and followed Joshua into the living area.

"Where's you first aid kit?" Joshua asked.

Maya went over to the kitchen and opened a drawer. She emerged holding a box with a big red plus sign. She gave it to Joshua who put it on the table in the living room and sat down on a couch, clearly expecting Maya to sit down next to him. She hesitated.

"Just sit down Maya, I'm not going to jump you." Joshua's voice drawled, all while he rummaged through the box, not even looking at her.

She sat down quickly, feeling heat rush to her cheeks. It didn't help when Joshua delicately took her hand, and started cleansing the cut. However, he kept his eyes on her arm, focusing on his work. Then he found a long cloth in the box and started wrapping in around her arm. The small couch didn't provide much space, and the two teenagers were sitting close together.

"How did you know I was in trouble?" Maya asked. She was entirely conscious of Joshua's leg pressed against hers, and tried to maintain normal breathing, so that he couldn't tell how much the lack of distance between them bothered her.

"I keep tabs on you. I can't help it." Joshua finally looked up to meet her eyes, and he gave her a sad smile.

Maya's breath was taken away. Being so close to his face, Maya could see the vivid violet colour of his eyes so well, like a tornado of mystery and beauty.

Joshua was staring at her too. He couldn't help but be transfixed on her face. Her milky skin and chocolate eyes were the most beautiful things he had seen in his life. The small circular shape of her face was so well framed by her long brown hair, spilling over her shoulders like a river. He also noticed a little speck of blood on her face, just below her left eye. He supposed that she must have accidently got it there from her arm, perhaps while brushing her hair away from her face.

"You've got a little bit of blood under your eye." He said.

Maya's gaze was not unlike someone had broken her free of a spell, back to reality. "Oh, really."

Joshua leaned across her to pick up another cloth from the table, and in the process, brushed up against Maya's body. He returned his attention to Maya's face, and wiped away the red splotch. Then he deposited the cloth back on the table, before wiping away any leftover residue with his fingers. Except there wasn't really anything there, he just wanted to touch her. His fingers touched her face fleetingly, before they touched her hair. He marvelled in the soft texture of it, and tucked it behind her ear.

Maya didn't draw away from him, instead just allowed herself to be enveloped in the sensation of Joshua's hands playing with her hair. Then she saw him leaning in, closer to her face. She saw the features on increasing in detail as he got closer. Then it hit her. He was going to kiss her.

Joshua's hand slipped from her hair to the back of her neck, bringing her closer to him. His eyes drifted down to her red lips, and was almost immediately overtaken by a force. He slowly inched closer to her face.

He was so close to her that she could feel his eyelashes on her skin when he blinked. And finally, he tilted his head-

Maya pulled back from Joshua. She looked away from his face before she could regret her decision, and faked a cough.

"Um, anyway, thanks for your help Joshua." Maya plastered on a smile.

Joshua seemed to be a little thrown off by the Maya's unexpected action. While he had been getting closer to her, he hadn't seen any sign of it. He had thought that she was going to let him kiss her. Maybe that had just been wishful thinking.

"Uh yeah, no problem."

Maya got up and put the first aid box away, and Joshua followed her to the door.

She opened the door, and looked at him. "Bye."

He gave her a small wave and exited the house, feeling a mix of feelings. He was happy that she had trusted him enough to let him help her, but he was disappointed that she had pulled away at the last minute.


End file.
